Investigation of the Hypothesis of a Seismogenic Origin for the Structural Damages to Buildings in the Archeological Zone Cologne with Engineering-Geophysical Models

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The Cologne Praetorium can be located in the eastern part of the Roman inner city, today in the area of the so-called Archaeological Zone . It was the seat of the roman imperial governor for the province Germania Inferior or Germania secunda and the administrative centre for the whole province. The foundations and parts of the remaining walls show heavy structural damages, which most probably indicate a sudden damaging event. Within the framework of the “Regionale 2010”, a project supported by the state of Northrhine Westphalia and the City of Cologne, the Archaeological Zone Cologne is being developed and a large section of the Praetorium (previously inaccessible) and the overlaying Jewish Quarter will be excavated. The existing structures together with the newly excavated areas present an opportunity to construct engineering geophysical models to test the hypothesis that observed damages are of seismogenic origin. The hypothesis suggests secondary effects (liquefaction and lateral spreading) as the main cause. During the planned exploration and excavation operations the damages will be systematically documented in the frame of the proposed project. A seismotectonic model for the Lower Rhine Embayment, one of the most seismically active areas in Europe north of the Alps, will be the basis for calculation of synthetic strong motion seismograms for deterministic earthquake scenarios. The dynamic behavior of the subsurface of the Archaeological Zone and the reaction of the Praetorium building will be studied. The results will provide an important basis for earthquake hazard analysis of the larger Cologne area and the Lower Rhine Embayment as a whole.