Liquefaction Potential Assessment for Basrah Soil Based on Standard Penetration Test Values

Abstract

Most of the crustal depth shocks are situated within the geographic border of the earthquake risk map for Iraq. The number of earthquakes rises, and apattern emerges, with their magnitudes ranging from 2.7 to 7.2. Recently, many parts of Iraq have been affected by earthquakes. Under such loads, soil can be liquefied, which might destroy the ground and buildings. Therefore, bore log data, grain size distribution, N-values of the standard penetration test, and an earthquake risk map are used to assess the liquefaction potential. The liquefaction parameters are calculated using Idriss and Boulanger (2014). It is chosen based on the amount of sand and fines present. Five earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 5-7 and an interval of 0.5 have been selected. The purpose of this research is to assess the liquefaction potential of some areas in Basrah city that are located on medium to very dense sandy soil. The results indicate a high probability of liquefaction at a shallow depth in some sandy areas, indicating the need for a liquefaction prevention method.