Assessment of the liquefaction potential of the Arifiye (Sakarya) region with multidisciplinary geoscience approaches in the GIS environment

• Published in: Journal of applied geophysics 2023-05, Vol.212, p.104983, Article 104983
• Main Authors: Silahtar, Ali, Karaaslan, Hasan, Özocak, Aşkın, Bol, Ertan, Sert, Sedat, Kocaman, Kadir, Özsağır, Mustafa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ishihara-inspired index; Liquefaction; LPI; SPT
• ISSN: 0926-9851; 1879-1859
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jappgeo.2023.104983

The severity of damage under building load during an earthquake, one of the most critical geophysical and geotechnical engineering problems, varies according to soil types. Therefore, the liquefaction problem constitutes an essential phenomenon, especially for the settlements located on alluvial units in high seismicity regions. This study used standard penetration test (SPT), and share wave velocity (Vs) based approaches to evaluate the liquefiability in the Arifiye region in the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) with 40 drillings and 35 seismic measurements considering the Izmit (Mw: 7.4) and Mudurnu (Mw: 7.0) earthquake scenarios. In this context, three different approaches (Liquefaction potential index (LPI), Ishihara boundary curve (IB), and Ishihara-inspired index (LPIISH)) were employed. The maps from these assessments were prepared in the Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. It was determined for the study area that the lakeside and northern part of the NAFZ linearity, which has a very shallow groundwater table and low Vs values, are vulnerable to liquefaction hazards for all approaches. On the contrary, the south part of the NAFZ linearity is defined as non-liquefiable. Although the Vs and SPT-based LPI maps considerably overlapped, some differences in LPI values emphasized the importance of integrated use of the geophysical and geotechnical methods. Hence, liquefaction analysis with different approaches will enable it to operate according to the most cautious situation in risk management. •This study includes the assessment results of the Arifiye district with integrated geophysical and geotechnical approaches.•High liquefaction potential at the lakeside area of the Arifiye district.•Soil mechanical properties are determined from the SPT-N value and share wave velocity.•The most cautious situation in risk management only can be obtained with different liquefaction analysis approaches.