A three-dimensional boundary element model for the seismic analysis of arch dams is presented. The soil and the dam are assumed to be viscoelastic domains the former being boundless. The water is assume to be compressible subject to small amplitude motions. The three domains are discretized into B ."E. in a single model which includes a rigurous representation of the dam-foundation rock interaction, the water-foundation rock interaction and the traveling wave effects. The response of an arch dam (The Morrow Point dam) to harmonic waves propagating vertically is studied. The important influence of the abovementioned interaction and traveling wave effects is clearly shown by computed results. These results are in contrast with sorne obtained by other authors using a F.E. model
