Review of Spatial Variation of Seismic Ground Motions: Modeling and Engineering Applications by Aspasia Zerva: CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL; 2009; ISBN: 978-0-8493-9929-9; 486 pp. Price: $139.95.

This impressive book comes at a critical time for both researchers and practitioners working in earthquake engineering, especially for those dealing with large spatial structures, e.g., pipelines, long-span bridges, and dams. The book provides a comprehensive review of models for seismic ground motions, including their spatial variation and their simulation, and illustrates the effects of spatial variation with relevant applications.

Chapter 1 motivates the reader and outlines the book content. Chapter 2 constitutes a comprehensive review of essential definitions and properties of stochastic processes and random fields. Numerical examples are used to clarify theoretical concepts and to facilitate the understanding of topics covered in the book. Chapter 3 presents (1) a critical review of parametric models for seismic ground acceleration, (2) data and methods for estimating the parameters of various coherency models, (3) techniques for statistical identification of parametric cross-spectrum models, and (4) reconstruction algorithms for seismic motions. Chapters 4 and 5 provide useful and succinct information about the spatial variability of seismic motions and their effects on ground strains. Chapter 6 extends the results of linear random vibration theory to the case of dynamic systems with multisupport discrete and continuous input. Theoretical derivations are supplemented with useful numerical examples. Chapters 7 and 8 represent a comprehensive review of methods and algorithms for generating samples of ground motions as scalar/vector stochastic processes and random fields. Both stationary and nonstationary random processes are considered for conditional and unconditional simulations cases. Chapter 9 provides a suite of relevant applications demonstrating the need in earthquake engineering for the theoretical concepts presented in the book and illustrating the practical application of these concepts. Finally, the book provides a comprehensive list of up-to-date references.

In summary, this is a book that every researcher and practitioner working in earthquake engineering should have as a quick reference and for in-depth study. The book constitutes an outstanding, comprehensive contribution to this complex field, and it also provides the readers with necessary understanding of the random processes and fields and random dynamics of multidegree of freedom systems with multiple supports by means of the judicious use of practical examples. The author should be congratulated for writing this remarkable book, which is indeed a high point of her longtime dedication and commitment to the subject.