Strong ground motion characteristics observed in the February 6, 2023 M_W7.7 Türkiye earthquake

Türkiye is located in a seismically active region, where the Anatolian, African, and Arabian tectonic plates converge. High seismic hazards cause the region to be struck repeatedly by major earthquakes. On February 06, 2023, a devastating M_W7.7 earthquake struck Türkiye at 01:17 am local time (01:17 UTC). In this regard, near and far-field ground motion data within the distance of 120 km are compiled and later characterized to identify the key ground motion intensity measures. Additionally, the vertical components of ground motions were examined to capture the complete three-dimensional nature of the seismic event. Moreover, the effect of Pulse-Like (PL) and Non-Pulse-Like (NPL) ground motion on a representative RC frame structure built as per the Türkiye code was investigated. The results indicate that PL behavior was observed in both horizontal and vertical components of ground motions and PL behavior were noted both near the epicenter and at higher distances from the epicenter. Moreover, the ratio of the peak vertical acceleration to peak horizontal acceleration at certain stations was found to be close to 1. Finally, the non-linear time history analysis of the representative reinforced concrete frame structure for ground motions recorded at stations located equidistant from the epicenter, indicated that PL ground motions led to more significant damage compared to NPL ground motions.