Contribution of Site Effects Evaluation to Seismic Risk Reduction in the Zemmouri City (Algeria)

Site effects that correspond to the amplification of incident seismic motion by soil layers constitute a serious threat to constructions during strong earthquakes and thus raise seismic risk. Indeed, recent earthquakes show that site effects are among the main causes of damage and destruction of buildings.In this work we perform spectral ratios H/V measurements of ambient noise in the Zemmouri city (Algeria), as a part of a microzonation study. Results are presented as a map of resonance frequencies showing six (6) zones. Based on this map we propose theappropriatetype ofconstructions (number of storey) that each zone can receive in order to ovoid collapse during a future possible strong earthquake.