SUMMARYTwo processes using the Newmark implicit integration scheme are presented for the analysis of the earthquake response of a three-dimensional model for arch dam-reservoir systems including the effect of compressibility of the water. The solid structure and fluid regions are modelled separately, and the forcing functions at the interface are due to the hydrodynamic pressures from the reservoir acting on the upstream face of the dam wall, and the accelerations from the dam wall acting in turn on the reservoir.For the purposes of an initial investigation, elastic properties are assumed for the material of the dam, whilst in the reservoir radiation damping at the upstream boundary has been included, but bottom absorption has not. The excitation is provided by means of a combisweep which is fashioned so that its continuously varying frequencies pass through the fundamental frequencies of both the arch dam-reservoir system and the reservoir alone. Consequently the response is highly resonant, thus providing a severe test for the numerical procedures. From the numerical results obtained for an example problem it is concluded that both schemes provide an acceptable solution to the problem posed, and the possibility of enhancement to cater for more complex situations is discussed.