Liquefaction Susceptibility Evaluation for the City of Evansville, Indiana

Abstract

A series of Standard Penetration Tests (SPT) were performed to delineate potentially liquefiable deposits in Evansville, Indiana. Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) were performed in areas where SPT soundings indicated liquefaction-prone material. Two SPT-based and two CPT-based liquefaction evaluation procedures were evaluated. A fifth method, called the Liquefaction Potential Index, is utilized to provide more quantitative assessment regarding liquefaction risk resulting from the postulated earthquakes. At 27 different locations, over 100 soil layers were investigated for liquefaction susceptibility. Concern exists for two postulated earthquakes: one a major earthquake generated in the Wabash Valley fault zone and the other a catastrophic earthquake with an epicenter in the central New Madrid seismic zone.