Frequency ranges and attenuation of macroseismic effects

Macroseismic intensity is assessed on the basis of the effects caused by an earthquake. These effects reflect the expression of both the intensity and frequency of the ground motion, thus complicating prediction equation modelling. Here we analysed data of several macroseismic transitory effects caused by recent Italian earthquakes in order to study their attenuation as a function of magnitude and hypocentral distance and to obtain a specific prediction equation, of simple functional form, that could be applied to each of the effects under analysis. We found that the different attenuation behaviours could be clearly defined by the values of the specially formulated magnitude-distance scaling ratio (S), thus allowing to group the effects on the basis of the S value. The oscillation of hanging objects and liquids, together with the feeling of dizziness, were separated from most other variables, such as the effects of the earthquake on small objects, china and windows, which were caused by a vibration of higher frequency. Besides, the greater value of S, associated with the perception of the seismic sound, explained the peculiarity of this phenomenon. As a result, we recognized the frequency range associated with each effect through comparisons with the ground motion prediction equations and, in particular, with the 5 per cent damped horizontal response spectra. Here we show the importance of appropriately selecting the diagnostic elements to be used for intensity assessment in order to improve the correlation with ground motion.