Received: 17 February 2017 Revised: 31 March 2018 Accepted: 3 April 2018

DOI: 10.1002/eqe.3052

S H O RT C O M M U N I C AT I O N

Seismic hazard in Buenos Aires, Argentina: A preliminary

study on the effects of long-distance earthquakes on tall
buildings

Raúl D. Bertero1,2 Sebastián Vaquero1,2 Juan M. Mussat1,2 Agustín Bertero1,2

1
Laboratorio de Dinámica de Estructuras,
Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Summary
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina The 2015 Illapel earthquake produced self-evacuation of tall buildings in the
2
INTECIN, CONICET-Universidad de
city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, located 1280 km away from the epicenter. The
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
ground motions in Buenos Aires due to the main event (Mw 8.3) and its after-
Correspondence shocks were registered by a new seismometer. The data collected allowed to
Raúl D. Bertero, Departamento de
estimate the maximum story drift ratios and top floor accelerations for tall build-
Estabilidad, Facultad de Ingeniería,
Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Las ings in Buenos Aires. The similarities between the response spectra and the
Heras 2214, C1127AAR Buenos Aires, Fourier amplitude spectra for the mainshock and its aftershocks show the influ-
Argentina.
Email: r.bertero@gmail.com
ence that the dynamic properties of the 300-m soil deposit have on the large
acceleration amplification produced in these groups of buildings.
Handling Editor: Chopra Anil
K E Y WO R D S
effects of earthquakes on tall buildings, long-distance earthquakes, seismic hazard in Buenos Aires

1 I N T RO DU CT ION

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and the second biggest city of South America with 14.5 million inhabitants in
the metropolitan area. It is located over 1200 km away from the high seismicity area defined by the interface between the
South America and Nazca plates (Figure 1). Over the last century, this region hosted 15 earthquakes of magnitude 7 or
greater, including the 1960 Mw 9.5 earthquake in southern Chile, the strongest in recorded history, and the 2010 Mw 8.8
Maule earthquake. This last event, strongly felt in Buenos Aires, motivated the acquisition of a seismometer to study the
effects of long-distance earthquakes in the city.
On September 16, 2015, at 22:54:32 UTC, a Mw 8.3 earthquake occurred 48 km offshore Illapel, Chile. The United States
Geological Survey reported the epicenter coordinates as 31.573◦ S, 71.674◦ W, about 230 km northwest of Santiago de
Chile. In Buenos Aires, 1280 km away from the epicenter, several tall buildings were self-evacuated due to the movement of
hanging objects such as lamps, curtains, plants, and bookshelves. Light cracking was observed in some partitions after the
earthquake, but no structural damage was detected. The Director of the Emergency Medical Services reported receiving
calls from people living above the eighth floor who were scared or experienced queasiness due to floor accelerations.
Furthermore, one of the 16 deaths reported occurred in Buenos Aires after a man fell down the stairs during the evacuation
of a building. While in high seismicity areas the population is used to this phenomenon, in Buenos Aires, the shaking
caused alarm and panic to building dwellers.
The current Argentine building codes do not take into account seismic loads in Buenos Aires except for critical facilities
whose failure may lead to catastrophic effects on large segments of the population. However, as evidenced by recent earth-
quakes, long-period structures founded on top of soil with significant depth to bedrock can respond to distant earthquakes
quite strongly. The 1985 Mexico City earthquake is the most famous example, with major damage occurring 350 km away

Earthquake Engng Struct Dyn. 2018;1–7. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/eqe Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 1
2 BERTERO ET AL.

FIGURE 1 Historical ruptures map for Chile and Argentina as informed by United States Geological Survey1 and location of Buenos Aires
[Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]

from the epicenter due to large soil amplification effects.2 Moreover, several studies reported significant effects at greater
distances. For example, a 17-story building in Singapore founded on soft soil at an epicentral distance of 750 km was
self-evacuated during the 1994 Mw 7.0 Liwa earthquake in Sumatra.3,4 More recently, Çelebi et al studied the response
of tall buildings located at 388 and 770 km from the epicenter during the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku earthquake and its after-
shocks. These studies emphasize the need to consider risk from distant sources in built environments and show that the
prolonged response of buildings due to distant earthquakes is a consequence of the effects of traveling long-period motions
and a combination of site resonance and low damping of the structures. 5-7
This short communication studies the ground motions recorded in Buenos Aires during the 2015 Illapel earthquake
and 13 aftershocks, characterizing amplitude and frequency content parameters. The response of tall buildings during the
main event is investigated and compared with acceptable values for wind-induced vibrations and nonstructural damage
thresholds.

2 GROUND MOT IONS IN BUENOS AIRES DUE TO STRO NG

EARTHQUAKES IN CHILE

In addition to the 2015 Mw 8.3 Illapel earthquake, 13 aftershocks of magnitude equal or greater than 6.0 were recorded by
a Geotech KS-2000 broadband seismometer property of the University of Buenos Aires (station code: FIUBA). This instru-
ment presents a flat frequency response to −3 dB between 0.01 and 50 Hz. Recorded motions were filtered in frequency
domain with acausal high-pass and low-pass Butterworth filters, with corner frequencies of 0.04 and 3 Hz, respectively.
The 3-Hz corner frequency for the low-pass filter was adopted to reduce the influence of traffic-induced vibrations in the
records from the aftershocks. The instrument presents no phase distortion over the frequency band of interest.
According to perforations made by the National Geological Service, the crystalline basement is found approximately
250 to 350 m below the surface of Buenos Aires. The perforations closest to the seismometer (about 6 km) reached the
rock basement at depths of 289 and 286 m. In downtown Buenos Aires, where the tallest buildings are located, the depth
of soil deposit is 283 m.
Table 1 describes each event in terms of their magnitude Mw , depth, and distance from the epicenter to Buenos Aires
R. Unfortunately, the transducer malfunctioned until September 27, so the North-South component for mainshock and
BERTERO ET AL. 3

TABLE 1 Recorded ground motions in Buenos Aires

Time Depth, R, PGV, PGA, Tm ,
Date UTC Earthquake Mw km km cm/s cm/s2 s
2015-09-16 22:54 48 km W of Illapela 8.3 23.3 1282 0.487 1.101 2.3
2015-09-17 01:41 70 km SW of Ovallea 6.4 45.0 1297 0.023 0.056 2.3
a
2015-09-17 03:55 54 km WNW of Illapel 6.5 45.0 1288 0.023 0.063 2.1
2015-09-17 04:10 61 km WNW of Illapela 6.7 40.7 1295 0.057 0.128 2.0
2015-09-18 09:10 93 km NW of Valparaisoa 6.2 33.0 1306 0.016 0.037 2.4
2015-09-19 12:52 79 km W of La Liguaa 6.2 26.9 1292 0.014 0.028 2.2
2015-09-21 05:39 55 km W of Illapela 6.1 40.7 1288 0.018 0.058 2.1
2015-09-21 17:40 22 km WSW of Illapela 6.6 13.0 1250 0.037 0.096 2.3
2015-09-26 02:51 26 km SSW of Ovallea 6.3 40.2 1280 0.041 0.125 2.2
2015-11-07 07:31 39 km SW of Ovalle 6.8 47.8 1289 0.052 0.153 2.0
2015-11-11 01:54 81 km NW of Coquimbo 6.9 32.9 1401 0.035 0.081 2.4
2015-11-27 21:00 64 km N of Taltal 6.2 34.0 1601 0.004 0.009 2.1
2016-02-10 00:33 37 km W of Ovalle 6.3 36.5 1314 0.028 0.081 2.0
2016-02-22 06:37 105 km WSW of Coquimbo 6.0 12.0 1383 0.011 0.035 2.3
Abbreviations: PGA, peak ground acceleration; PGV, peak ground velocity.
a The North-South component is not available.

1.5 30
Fourier Amplitude (cm/s)

2
1 PGA=1.1cm/s 25
Acceleration (cm/s 2)

0.5 20

0 15

-0.5 10

-1 5
262s
-1.5 0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Time (sec) Frequency, f (Hz)
(A) Acceleration time-series (B) Fourier amplitude spectrum

FIGURE 2 East-West component from the 2015 Mw 8.3 main event in Buenos Aires. PGA, peak ground acceleration

the first group of aftershocks could not be recorded. Thus, in order to keep consistency, Table 1 presents the peak ground
velocity, the peak ground acceleration (PGA), and the mean period (Tm )8 corresponding to the East-West component of
each record.
The East-West component of the ground motion recorded in Buenos Aires from the 2015 Illapel earthquake is presented
in Figure 2A, highlighting its PGA of 1.1 cm/s2 and its significant duration* of 262 seconds. Figure 2B shows the raw
Fourier amplitude spectrum of the record, determined using the fast Fourier transform. The motion presents 2 dominant
frequencies, the first one around 0.4 Hz (period of 2.5 s) and the second equal to 1 Hz (period of 1 s). Figure 3 shows
the acceleration, velocity, and displacement time series and orbit plots of the East-West and vertical components for the
strong shaking portion (the time window is displayed in Figure 2A). The elliptical particle trajectories allow to identify the
arrival of low-frequency surface (Rayleigh) waves. The presence of important surface waves for long-distance earthquakes
has been demonstrated before for the Mexico Valley. 9
Regarding the aftershock records, it is noted that they all present the same dominant frequencies, as shown in the
smoothed† Fourier amplitude spectra presented in Figure 4A. The similarity between spectral shapes is noteworthy, espe-
cially considering the different direction and magnitude of these records. The same observation can be made analyzing
the normalized pseudo-acceleration response spectra shown in Figure 4B. A damping ratio 𝜁 = 1% was adopted for tall
buildings in Buenos Aires based on experimental results from previous studies.10 It is noted that each single spectrum

* 5% to 95% significant duration is considered in this study.

†
A fifth-order Savitzky-Golay smooth filter with frame size of 0.4 Hz is used in this study.
4 BERTERO ET AL.

1 EW

Acceleration (cm2/s)
0
-1
1 Vertical
0
-1

0.5
EW
Velocity (cm/s)

-0.5
0.5
Vertical
0

-0.5
1
Displacement (cm)

EW
0
-1
1
Vertical
0

-1
250 300 350 400 450
Time (s)
1cm 1cm 1cm 1cm
V

0 0 0 0
EW

-1cm -1cm -1cm -1cm

-1cm 0 1cm -1cm 0 1cm -1cm 0 1cm -1cm 0 1cm
250 to 300 seconds 300 to 350 seconds 350 to 400 seconds 400 to 450 seconds

FIGURE 3 Acceleration, velocity, and displacement time series and orbit plots for the strong shaking portion of the mainshock record.
EW, East-West

Aftershocks NS 15 Mean
Fourier Amplitude (cm/s)

Mainshock EW
10 Mean+
Aftershocks EW
Sa / PGA ( = 1%)

1 10

0.1 5

0.01
0
0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 0 1 2 3
Frequency, f (Hz) Frequency, f (Hz) Period (s)

(A) Smoothed Fourier Amplitude Spectra (B) Normalized response spectra

FIGURE 4 Frequency content and response spectrum for the mainshock and aftershocks. EW, East-West; NS, North-South

presents resonant periods around 2.5 seconds and 1 second. The large amplification of the PGA (about 10 times at a period
of 2.5 s) is typical of harmonic type ground motions.
The fact that all records have the same predominant periods regardless of the direction of the record and the magnitude
of the earthquake leads to the conclusion that 2.5 seconds and 1 second are the natural periods of the site. It is worth
BERTERO ET AL. 5

mentioning that, in terms of the shear wave velocity in the upper 30 m of soil deposit, site conditions in Buenos Aires
are not classified as soft soil. The upper 35 m at the location of the seismometer consist of silty and clayey soils strongly
preconsolidated by desiccation, with Vs ≈ 800 m/s obtained from crosshole seismic tests.11 The following 50 m of soil
deposit consists of a layer of fine and dense sand and a layer of silty clay, both normally consolidated. Shear wave velocity
correlations presented in Rinaldi et al11 for these layers lead to Vs estimates of about 300 m/s. The remaining formations
are geologically similar to the last layer described, but unfortunately, no geotechnical parameters are available. However,
it is evident that site effects play a very important role in the ground motions recorded in Buenos Aires for long-distance
earthquakes because of the large depth of the soil deposit and the presence of layers that are softer than the upper layer.

3 TA LL BUILDING RESPONSE TO THE RECO RD FROM THE MAIN EVENT

The results of a systematic campaign to determine the first-mode period T1 and damping ratio 𝜁 of tall buildings in Buenos
Aires using ambient vibrations are presented in Figure 5.10 An estimation of the first-mode period can be made using the
relationship presented in Equation 1, where H is the height of the building in meters. For example, a 150-m-high building
(about 50 stories) is expected to have a first-mode period of 2.75 seconds. Regarding damping ratio, the results show some
dispersion but tend to 1% for taller buildings. While this value may increase for base accelerations with PGA in the order
of 1 cm/s2 or greater, 𝜁 = 1% is adopted until more data become available.
T1 (s) = 0.0187H (m) − 0.0544 (30 m ≤ H ≤ 160 m) . (1)

The top floor acceleration demand, Atop , in buildings is estimated for the mainshock record. To account for all possible
configurations, buildings are modeled as a continuum structure that consists of a combination of a flexural beam (shear
wall–based buildings) and a shear beam (framed structures).12 As an example, Figure 6A shows the top floor acceleration
demand for buildings in which shear behavior dominates over flexural behavior. Maximum acceleration demands are
about 25% higher when flexural behavior dominates and about 10% higher for combined shear and flexural behavior.
Figure 6A shows the 50% level of perception probability13 and the acceptable values for wind-induced vibrations in
residences as specified in Annex D of ISO 10137.14 This standard specifies peak accelerations at the first-mode period
in the principal structural directions of the building (usually along-wind and cross-wind) and in torsion. The acceptable
values are derived from examinations of data for many buildings under general use. It is concluded that the acceptable
values for wind-induced vibrations were exceeded in Buenos Aires due to the Illapel earthquake for a wide a range of
building heights. The worst situation in terms of human comfort occurred in buildings with first-mode periods between 2
and 3 seconds, ie, with heights between 100 and 160 m (33-53 stories) per Equation 1. This explains why so many buildings

4 3
First mode period, T 1 (s)

Damping ratio, (%)

3
2
2
1
1

0 0
0 50 100 150 200 0 50 100 150 200
Height, H (m) Height, H (m)

FIGURE 5 Data collected for tall buildings in Buenos Aires10

15
A top (cm/s 2 ) ( = 1%)

Mainshock Mainshock
0.03
ISO 10137
MSDR (%)

10 Perception threshold
Aftershocks 0.02

5 0.01

0 0
0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4
Period (s) Period (s)
(A) Top Floor Accelerations (B) Maximum Story Drift Ratio

FIGURE 6 Response of buildings with shear beam behavior [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
6 BERTERO ET AL.

were self-evacuated, particularly considering that the shaking lasted for more than 4 minutes. Furthermore, the 50% level
of perception probability was exceeded for all buildings with period greater than 0.5 second, meaning that a very large
portion of the population of Buenos Aires may have felt the earthquake.
Nonstructural masonry infill walls are very common in reinforced concrete frame buildings in Buenos Aires. Damage
in these walls is very sensitive to the story drift ratio, and several authors have derived fragility curves for different damage
states in terms of this engineering demand parameter. The maximum story drift ratio, MSDR, expected in buildings in
which shear behavior dominates due to the Illapel earthquake is presented in Figure 6B. As before, other types of behaviors
were also considered. The MSDR for buildings with flexural beam behavior is expected to be about 8% higher, while for
flexural and shear combined behavior, the MSDR is 8% lower.15 For example, the expected MSDR for a building with a
first-mode period of 2.5 seconds (about 130 m high) is in the order of 0.03%. According to the fragility curves proposed by
Cardone and Perrone16 for masonry infill walls with openings, the probability of experiencing light diagonal cracking is
in the order of 5% to 10%. As a result, it is concluded that some level of nonstructural damage is possible in tall buildings
located 1300 km away from the epicenter, particularly for weak brick infills with pre-existing distortions, such as those
caused by differential creep in reinforced concrete columns. As mentioned before, light diagonal cracking was observed
in some partitions after the earthquake.

4 CO NCLUDING REMARKS

This communication discusses the effects of Chilean seismicity on tall buildings in Buenos Aires, a city located about
1300 km away from the epicenter of large magnitude subduction earthquakes. The study is based on unprecedented
records of ground motions in the center of the city due to the 2015 Mw 8.3 Illapel earthquake and 13 aftershocks.
It is concluded that site conditions in Buenos Aires play a very important role on the effects of long-distance earth-
quakes. From the fact that every record presents dominant frequencies at the apparent natural frequencies of the site, it
is inferred that the 300-m soil deposit has a greater influence in the frequency content than earthquake magnitude. The
soil deposit filters bedrock accelerations, with significant amplification in frequencies around 0.4 and 1 Hz. As result, tall
buildings in resonance with the first period of the soil deposit amplify the PGA by a factor of 10. These results confirm
the conclusions from previous studies5-7 about the importance of the combination of site resonance and low damping in
the large amplification of accelerations produced on tall buildings for long-distance earthquakes.
During the 2015 Mw 8.3 Illapel earthquake, tall buildings in Buenos Aires (1280 km away from the epicenter) experi-
enced accelerations significantly higher than the acceptable limits for wind-induced vibrations specified in ISO 10137.
Additionally, it is shown that some level of nonstructural damage such as light cracking was possible. These results show
that the design practice for tall buildings located at long distances from high seismicity areas needs to be revised in order
to consider both comfort criteria and nonstructural damage control for buildings in resonance with soil period.
Evidently, a site-specific design spectra are required for this purpose, as site effects could not be accounted for with
parameters such as Vs30 . In Buenos Aires, for example, where firm soil is found in the upper layers, site amplification
is produced because of the large depth of soil deposit. This local observation about the inadequacy of Vs30 for defining
response spectra for long-distance earthquakes can be extended to the general case. When site amplification is present,
as in Buenos Aires, it is clear that the best parameter to define the design spectra is the soil period at the site, which can
be easily inferred from recorded ground motions for long-distance earthquakes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors thank Ing. Nestor Guitelman for his comments and photos of the light cracking observed in his building after
the earthquake, and 2 anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.

ORCID

Raúl D. Bertero http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7557-1911

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How to cite this article: Bertero RD, Vaquero S, Mussat JM, Bertero A. Seismic hazard in Buenos Aires,
Argentina: A preliminary study on the effects of long-distance earthquakes on tall buildings. Earthquake Engng
Struct Dyn. 2018;1–7 https://doi.org/10.1002/eqe.3052