these site conditions illustrated in this work serve to highlight the need to de

fine a unique
baseline site condition.
For the sake of comparison with current code provisions, the spectral
amplification factors were averaged over a range of periods to obtain short-peri
od and
mid-period amplification factors. The period range for the short-period amplific
ation
factor (Fa) is 0.1 to 0.5 seconds, and the period range for the mid-period ampli
fication
factor (Fv) is 0.4 to 2.0 seconds (Borcherdt 1994). The mean factors were averag
ed from
a double logarithmic plot of amplification factors versus period. The values of
the code
factors (UBC 1997) and the factors obtained in this work are given in Table 9, a
nd are
presented graphically in Figure 22.
The short-period amplification factors (Fa) obtained in this work are larger tha
n
the code values. This is due in large part to the larger levels of motion observ
ed in the
Northridge earthquake, which was not included in the studies that led to the ado
ption of
the 1997 UBC factors. Additionally, the site classification scheme adopted for t
he 1997
UBC differs from that proposed in this study, so that some sites are classified
differently
(see Comparison with a code-based site classification system, pp. 18-19 and Table
5).
The difference, however, is less than 20%, which is well within the statistical
uncertainty
in our results. The intermediate-period amplification factors obtained in this w
ork are
also within 20% of the code values. The factors presented herein, however, show
a lesser
degree of nonlinearity than the code factors. This, again, is a result of the in
clusion of the
Northridge data set.
Northridge data (Figure 18b). This effect is increased when weighting factors in
versely
proportional to sample variance are applied (Figure 20b) as a result of the larg
er number
of Site C and Site D data points in the Northridge Earthquake (see Figure 21 for
the
weights for each earthquake).
A comparison of Figures 20a and 20b illustrates the dramatic difference in
spectral amplification factors that results from taking either rock (Site B) or
weatheredsoft
rock/shallow stiff soil (Site C) as the baseline site condition. Current practic
e takes
an intermediate site condition as reference. The large differences in behavior b
etween