Call for Papers: Advances in Site Response Estimation

The Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA) is soliciting papers from a range of disciplines for a special section on the broad topic of Advances in Site Response Estimation.

The effects of near-surface geologic materials on earthquake-induced ground motions (“site response”) have been the focus of numerous studies in recent years. Although methods for simulating ground shaking have evolved rapidly, models for estimating site response and soil behavior still suffer from many limitations and uncertainties. This special section will bring together studies that represent the state of the art in site response estimation (including the quantification of related uncertainties), with the overarching goals of summarizing recent advances in the field and identifying areas with potential for improvement. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the development of innovative approaches to assessment and modeling of: nonlinear dynamic soil behavior, properties of shallow geologic materials, near-surface attenuation of seismic waves, soil-structure interactions, seismic microzonation (including the automation of site-response methodologies over broad areas), amplification effects due to shallow deposits, and topographic and basin effects. Descriptions of advanced methodologies where site response is rigorously incorporated, such as nonergodic probabilistic seismic hazard assessments, host-to-target adjustments to ground motion models, and unusual site conditions, are also welcomed.

The guest editors for this special issue are:
James Kaklamanos (Merrimack College)
Ashly Cabas (North Carolina State University)
Philippe Guéguen (ISTerre, Université Grenoble Alpes / Université Savoie Mont‐Blanc / CNRS / IRD / IFSTTAR)
Stefano Parolai (Instituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale)

The deadline for submission of manuscripts is 15 October 2020.

Papers submitted in advance of the deadline will be reviewed as they are received and published online soon after they are accepted for publication, in advance of the print issue, which is scheduled for early summer 2021. In preparing manuscripts, authors must follow BSSA’s author guidelines at https://www.seismosoc.org/publications/bssa-submission-guidelines/.  Papers must be submitted via BSSA’s online submission system (www.edmgr.com/bssa) under the category “Site Response Special Section”.

Please address questions about scientific issues to the guest editors or to Thomas Pratt, BSSA Editor-in-Chief, at bssaeditor@seismosoc.org.  Submission-related questions should be addressed to Betty Schiefelbein, Manuscript Coordinator, at bssamss@seismosoc.org.