Volume 1, Issue 1 — Year 2024 — Article e100012

Armin Mozafarbagi¹; Ebrahim Asghari-Kaljahi²

1. Department of Earth Sciences, Tabriz University, Tabriz 5166616471, Iran
2. Department of Earth Sciences, Tabriz University, Tabriz 5166616471, Iran

Soil liquefaction is a significant geotechnical hazard that poses risks to structures during earthquakes. It occurs when loose, saturated granular soils lose shear strength under seismic forces, causing the soil to behave like a liquid and leading to structural damage. A common approach for evaluating liquefaction potential involves field testing, especially the Standard Penetration Test (SPT), combined with empirical methods. This study assesses the liquefaction potential in the eastern region of Miandoab, using data from 16 boreholes. Grain size analysis and SPT results were analyzed, and the empirical method by Iwasaki et al. (1984) was applied to assess the region's liquefaction hazard. The findings show that in the central areas, the liquefaction risk is moderate, with a hazard level close to 5. In contrast, the northern and southern sections, characterized by denser soils and lower groundwater levels, show a lower potential for liquefaction. However, in the event of strong earthquakes with accelerations above 0.30g, liquefaction is still possible. Earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 7 and accelerations exceeding 0.25g present a serious risk of liquefaction in the region. The study highlights the need for considering soil conditions and seismic activity when evaluating liquefaction risks in construction planning.

Liquefaction, Geotechnical classification, Experimental relations, Miandoab, SPT.