The influence of local site effects on seismic ground motions is an important issue in seismic hazard assessment and earthquake resistant design. Determining site effects in densely populated cities built on basins can help to reduce the earthquake hazard. Site effects of Luoyang basin are estimated by the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio(HVSR) method using ambient noise records from a short-period dense array. The sites in Luoyang basin are sorted into three types according to the pattern of the HVSR curves. There are cases with a single clear peak, two clear peaks, and an unclear low frequency peak or multiple peaks, which correspond to there being one large impedance contrast interface, two large interfaces, and a moderate one beneath the sites, respectively. The site effects characterized by fundamental frequency from HVSR curves are affected by underlying sedimentary layers and depth of sedimentary basement. According to our results, the existence of thick sediment layer obviously lowers the fundamental frequency to the period range from 2 to 4 s in the downtown area of Luoyang city. The ground motion will amplify when through the sites and the buildings with height of 20–50 floors can resonate at the similar frequency domain. Site effects estimation using HVSR method from a short-period dense array is an effective technique in areas of moderate seismic risk where strong motion recordings are lacking, such as the Luoyang basin.
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