Vs30 of Coastal Cities in Eastern Indonesia in the Context of Earthquake Phenomenology

Authors

  • Claire Ashcraft Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
  • Ron Harris Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
  • Julian Fretha Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB), Ambon, Indonesia
  • Abby Mangam Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
  • John McBride Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0730-9476
  • Carolus Prasetyadi Faculty of Mineral Technology, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional, Jogjakarta, Indonesia
  • Kevin Rey Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9549-3930
  • Shayna Orme Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8603-3791
  • Hanif Sulaeman U-INSPIRE Indonesia, Kelurahan Tegalega, Bogor, Indonesia
  • Diannitta Agustinawati Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB), Pacitan, Indonesia
  • Bryce Berrett School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
  • Rachel Willmore Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
  • Ethan Westfall Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
  • Ian Bell Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
  • Giovani Cynthia Pradipta Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia
  • Emma Baginski Department of Geological Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v4i2.1410

Keywords:

seismic risk, vs30, Indonesia, Pacitan, Java, Lombok, Ambon, Banda Islands, geologic hazards

Abstract

Shear wave velocity measurements to 30 m depth (Vs30) using Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) indicate high seismic risk to the built environment in coastal cities adjacent to the Sunda and Banda subduction zones in Eastern Indonesia. These measurements were taken at 58 sites in the cities of Pacitan (southern Java), Lombok, Ambon, and the Banda Islands. Comparing Vs30 estimates with local geologic maps show low velocities associated mostly with unconsolidated alluvium on coastal plains where most of the built environment resides. Due to recent destructive earthquakes in two of the sites (2018 Lombok and 2019 Ambon) we were able to directly compare damage using the MMI scale to Vs30. In most cases the heavy damage was experienced in sites with low Vs30 values. The least damage was experienced near sites with high Vs30 values, which are in foothills underlain by shallow volcanic units. These data provide a way to quantify earthquake hazards in densely populated and rapidly developing regions of eastern Indonesia and provide foundational constraints for studies of resonance frequency.

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Published

2025-11-17

How to Cite

Ashcraft, C., Harris, R., Fretha, J., Mangam, A., McBride, J., Prasetyadi, C., Rey, K., Orme, S., Sulaeman, H., Agustinawati, D., Berrett, B., Willmore, R., Westfall, E., Bell, I., Pradipta, G. C., & Baginski, E. (2025). Vs30 of Coastal Cities in Eastern Indonesia in the Context of Earthquake Phenomenology. Seismica, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v4i2.1410

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Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025)

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Copyright (c) 2025 Claire Ashcraft, Ron Harris, Julian Fretha, Abby Mangam, John McBride, Carolus Prasetyadi, Kevin Rey, Shayna Orme, Hanif Sulaeman, Diannitta Agustinawati, Bryce Berrett, Rachel Willmore, Ethan Westfall, Ian Bell, Giovani Cynthia Pradipta, Emma Baginski

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