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Liquefaction phenomena following the February 6th, 2023, Turkiye earthquakes: observation and lessons

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Abstract

Post-earthquake scientific investigation is considered as one of the pillars supporting earthquake engineering. On the 6th of February, 2023, two deadly strong earthquakes, which magnitudes were Mw7.8 and Mw7.5, respectively, shook Southern-Central Turkiye, caused significantly large casualties and tremendous economy loss. Through on-site field survey, liquefaction phenomena and liquefaction-induced damage to buildings were observed. The observations are: (1) the consequences of soil liquefaction included sandboils, lateral spreading, ground subsidence and ground failure caused by loss of bearing capacity; (2) in two liquefied areas, lateral spreading was investigated and the spreading displacement ranged from several centimeters to meters, resulting in damage or demolishing of buildings; (3) in Golbasi town, many 6 to 10-story buildings significantly subsided and tilted due to liquefaction-induced loss of ground bearing capacity. Buildings subsided by tens of centimeters to 2 ~ 3 m, and tilted by several degrees to tens of degrees; (4) ground subsidence of tens of centimeters with respect to adjacent buildings was detected. The liquefaction phenomena were compared with those triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan, China, earthquake which maintained similar in magnitude and focal depth. The findings and lessons learnt will enhance the understanding of liquefaction hazard, challenge the current liquefaction countermeasures, and eventually facilitate to improve liquefaction mitigation techniques.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our appreciation to the Reconnaissance Investigation Team for Turkiye Mw7.8 earthquake organized by China Earthquake Administration and the assistance of Disaster and Emergency Authority of Turkiye (AFAD) during field work, and the kind and friendly locals. Financial supports for the research from Scientific Research Fund of Institute of Engineering Mechanics, China Earthquake Administration (Grant No. 2021EEEVL0104) is also gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, Institute of Engineering Mechanics, China Earthquake Administration, Harbin, 150080, China

    Longwei Chen, Jinhui Lei & Yunlong Wang

  2. Key Laboratory of Earthquake Disaster Mitigation, Ministry of Emergency Management, Harbin, 150080, China

    Longwei Chen, Jinhui Lei & Yunlong Wang

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  1. Longwei Chen
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  2. Jinhui Lei
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Correspondence to Longwei Chen.

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Chen, L., Lei, J. & Wang, Y. Liquefaction phenomena following the February 6th, 2023, Turkiye earthquakes: observation and lessons. Nat Hazards (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-024-06623-z

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