Characteristics and Triggering Conditions for Naturally Deposited Gravelly Soils that Liquefied following the 2008 Wenchuan Mw 7.9 Earthquake, China

• DOI: 10.1193/032017eqs050m
• Publication Date: 2018-03-15T16:29:19Z
• Authors: Longwei Chen; Xiaoming Yuan; Zhenzhong Cao; Rui Sun; Weiming Wang; Huida Liu
• Keywords: 0211 other engineering and technologies; 02 engineering and technology; 15. Life on land; 6. Clean water

The 2008 M w 7.9 Wenchuan, earthquake caused naturally deposited ravelly soils to liquefy over a wide area. Although liquefaction of gravely is recognized by the geotechnical profession, observations and nonlique-faction case histories within literature are few. Through several years systematic study following Wenchuan (M 7.9), 92 locations gravel were identified, described, mapped. These lie an approximately 3,000 km 2 area Chengdu Plain. Peak ground accelerations estimated at sites range from 0.15 g 0.49 g. Taken collectively, these studies reveal necessary conditions for triggering in gravelly materials. Grain size analyses indicates that ejecta was much finer than gravels liquefied. Gravel contents liquefied ranged 5% more 85%. loose, but their measured shear wave velocities 133 m/s 267 m/s, with corrected values ranging 154 31 4m/s. unique depositional under Plain provide favorable extensive soils. shallow soil profiles consist 0.5 m 5.5 impermeable (i.e., capping layer) overlying thickness few meters hundreds meters.