Meeting this Wednesday
Join us Wednesday, 3/22 for the ASCE Seattle Section Geotechnical Group/G-I Chapter Meeting. The meeting will be at 5:30pm and virtual.
ASCE Seattle Section Geotechnical Group/G-I Chapter
March Meeting
Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 5:30pm Pacific – Online
Topic: Geotechnical Problems Caused by the 2023 Kahramanmaras Earthquakes
Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83796896252?pwd=MFlNZVZjTkppSXJiWTBybkYwUDhvQT09
Speakers: Ozgun Alp Numanoglu, PhD1, Tugce Baser, PhD2, and Serhat Erinmez3
Moment magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria on February 6, 2023, within 9 hours. Two events and aftershocks impacted several provinces in southeast of Türkiye. The authors performed a reconnaissance to document observations and collect perishable data in the region immediately after the earthquakes. This presentation focuses on the preliminary investigations on the geotechnical aspects including earthquake-induced liquefaction manifestations, settlements, slope, and earth dam deformation/instabilities. Iskenderun experienced widespread liquefaction manifested with sand boils and ejecta on the surface. The settlements were observed both in near-free-field conditions and under the structures including the public dock of Iskenderun. A soil ejecta and significant settlements were observed around a multi-story building and a mosque built on a reclamation area. The settlements were between 5 and 30 cm under the multistory buildings, whereas settlements at the public dock reached at 150 cm. These settlements were also cross-checked with satellite images. The earthquakes triggered several landslides and dam deformations. A significant landslide occurred in Altunozu at a 15 to 30 degree-slope separating an olive farm with a large crack having a thickness and depth larger than 50 meters and 20 meters respectively. Another two meters-wide crack, running parallel to the main crack, was noted several hundred meters away. Single family homes trapped within the cracks experienced up to 55 cm displacements. The reconnaissance highlights the necessity of 1) investigation required for the widespread liquefaction occurred in Iskenderun; 2) monitoring and back-analysis of the earth dams that performed well and those performed poorly during the earthquake; and 3) monitoring of the slope instability in Altinozu.
1. Schnabel Engineering LLC (Speaker)
2. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Co-Speaker)
3. SiteEye Inc.
View the speaker bios on our Events page.
