In Slough, the seismic conversation is often dismissed because the UK sits mid-plate. But we have seen how soft alluvial pockets along the Jubilee River and the deep London Clay basin can amplify long-period motion in ways that catch structural engineers off guard. A liquefaction assessment is only half the picture. Our work here focuses on mapping how the local ground column — from the made ground of the Trading Estate to the chalk at depth — actually shakes. It is not about recurrence rates on paper. It is about what happens to a specific parcel when energy arrives from the North Sea or the Channel. That is what seismic microzonation delivers for Slough. We correlate downhole shear wave velocities with existing borehole logs and run 1D equivalent-linear site response to produce amplification spectra tied to Eurocode 8 ground types. The output is not a generic map. It is a design-ready foundation parameter you can use directly in your structural model.
Slough sits on up to 30 metres of London Clay. That is not a stiff site — it is a resonant column that amplifies long-period motion.
