Earthquake-induced liquefaction features in the coastal setting of South Carolina and in the fluvial setting of the New Madrid seismic zone

Abstract

Many types of liquefaction-related features (sand blows, fissures, lateral spreads, dikes, and sills) have been induced by earthquakes in coastal South Carolina and in the New Madrid seismic zone in the Central United States. In addition, abundant features of unknown and nonseismic origin are present. Geologic criteria for interpreting an earthquake origin in these areas are illustrated in practical applications; these criteria can be used to determine the origin of liquefaction features in many other geographic and geologic settings. In both coastal South Carolina and the New Madrid seismic zone, the earthquake-induced liquefaction features generally originated in clean sand deposits that contain no or few intercalated silt-or clay-rich strata. The local geologic setting is a major influence on both development and surface expression of sand blows. Major factors controlling sand-blow formation include the thickness and physical properties of the deposits above the source sands, and these relationships are illustrated by comparing sand blows found in coastal South Carolina (in marine deposits) with sand blows found in the New Madrid seismic zone (in fluvial deposits). In coastal South Carolina, the surface stratum is typically a thin (about 1 m) soil that is weakly cemented with humate, and the sand blows are expressed as craters surrounded by a thin sheet of sand; in the New Madrid seismic zone the surface stratum generally is a clay-rich deposit ranging in thickness from 2 to 10 m, in which case sand blows characteristically are expressed as sand mounded above the original ground surface. Recognition of the various features described in this paper, and identification of the most probable origin for each, provides a set of important tools for understanding paleoseismicity in areas such as the Central and Eastern United States where faults are not exposed for study and strong seismic activity is infrequent.

Methodological Proposal for Soil Liquefaction Analysis Associated to Destructive Earthquakes. Central Pre-Andes, Argentina (31º 30 ‘ S and 68º 25’ W)

“…Además puede causar grandes asentamientos o inclinaciones en fundaciones y estructuras de retención (Kramer & Stewart, 2004). Autores como Obermeier et al (1990Obermeier et al ( , 1993; Tinsley et al (1985) y Amick et al (1990) coincidieron en señalar que los factores que condicionan los procesos de licuefacción son los siguientes:…”

Vulnerability assessment of archaeological sites to earthquake hazard: An indicator based method integrating spatial and temporal aspects

“…The susceptibility that characterizes deposits decreases with increasing water table depth [Obermeier et al 1990, Youd and Hoose 1977, Youd 1998] since liquefaction resistance increases with overburden pressure and age of sediment, both of which generally increase with depth. Saturation is expressed by the water table depth factor (W.T.)…”

Natural Phenomena Hazards Design Criteria and Other Characterization Information for the MFFF at SRS

“…Fine grained well-sorted sand of ancient and modern beaches are much more susceptible to liquefaction than standard sand used for engineering analyses (Ref. 333). …”

“…The fill materials are fine-to medium-grained sand and clasts from the original soil profile, as well as sand from source beds at depths below the exposed C horizon (Ref. 333). Sand-blow explosion craters were found primarily on beach deposits, and are notably absent in fluvial settings (Ref.…”