Influence of source-to-site distance and diagenesis on liquefaction triggering of 200,000-year-old beach sand
Abstract
Liquefaction triggering of the outcropping 200,000-year-old Ten Mile Hill beds sand facies (Qts) near Charleston, South Carolina is characterized in this paper. The characterization includes evaluating the relative susceptibility to liquefaction of Qts assuming a uniform seismic load and using seismic cone penetration testing at 46 sites, the ratio of measured small-strain shear wave velocity to estimated small-strain shear wave velocity (MEVR), and the liquefaction potential index (LPI). The computed LPI values indicate a slight decrease in the liquefaction susceptibility of Qts moving away (5 to 30 km) from the likely source of the 1886 Charleston earthquake (Mw ~ 7). Also characterized is the liquefaction potential of Qts during the Charleston earthquake and a range of other earthquake loadings. The results for the range of other earthquake loadings are summarized in terms of liquefaction probability curves, which provide a method for mapping liquefaction potential in Qts. A back-calculated, lower-bound diagenesis correction factor of 1.11 for areas of Qts where liquefaction surface manifestations were not observed agrees well with the published data.
Publication Title
Engineering Geology
Recommended Citation
Bwambale, B., Andrus, R., Heidari, T., Gathro, J., & Cramer, C. (2022). Influence of source-to-site distance and diagenesis on liquefaction triggering of 200,000-year-old beach sand. Engineering Geology, 298 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2022.106557
