Citation

Arango JR, Blazquez R, Chacon J, Casado CL. Nat. Hazards 1995; 12(1): 1-17.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/BF00605278

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

On 25 December 1884, an earthquake of epicentral intensityI 0 = IX in the MSK scale caused great damage 'in a large area in the provinces of Granada and Málaga, in the south of Spain. The reports of the Spanish, Italian and French Commissions that studied the earthquake described ground phenomena in seven different sites which can be identified as soil liquefaction. By means of dynamic penetration tests carried out in the above sites, the corresponding soil profiles (based on SPT data and water table depth) were established, and the occurrence of liquefaction was proved in five out of seven of these sites. Also, the intensities at such locations and the magnitude of the earthquake were estimated. From the geotechnical data and the cyclic stress ratio induced by the earthquake, liquefaction conditions were confirmed in all the five sites which presumably liquefied. Then, possible values of the minimum ground surface accelerations necessary for the onset of liquefaction at each location were calculated. The results obtained were completed with data reported in six liquefaction case studies from Japan and the United States, from which design charts relating soil acceleration with normalized SPT values for different intensity levels were drawn. Finally, by using standard attenuation curves, the above data were translated into epicentral distances, and good agreement with the known epicentral area was found. As a result, a consistent approach for liquefaction hazard and source location problems has been developed. The proposed method combines in its formulation historical evidence and earthquake engineering techniques.

Language: en