ABSTRACT
The Roermond, April 13, 1992, earthquake with a local magnitude ML = 5.9 (Richter-scale) occurred in the western part of the Lower Rhine Embayment and belongs to one of the largest earthquakes observed in Central Europe. From the engineering point of view it is of special interest to study the available strong motion database and to compare parameters with those ones which are relevant for practical needs of engineers or which are introduced in building codes. The purpose of this paper is to check the quality of seismic action currently being used in Central Europe and to introduce a check list leading to conclusions for design practice. Considering some of the records from the Roermond earthquake, strong motion parameters (peak acceleration, response spectra) are investigated. Actual spectra are compared with intensity- and subsoil related as well as with magnitude and distance-related design spectra evaluated for the parameters of the earthquake or recording station. Finally, attenuation laws for peak and spectral accelerations are considered to get an impression of their applicability.
