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Liquefaction Susceptibility Mapping in Boston, Massachusetts

2008; Geological Society of America; Volume: 14; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2113/gseegeosci.14.1.1

1558-9161

C. M. Brankman, Laurie G. Baise,

Landslides and related hazards

Research Article| February 01, 2008 Liquefaction Susceptibility Mapping in Boston, Massachusetts CHARLES M. BRANKMAN; CHARLES M. BRANKMAN 1William Lettis & Associates, Inc., 1777 Botelho Drive, Suite 262, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 1. Present address: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, 20 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; phone: 617-495-0367; fax: 617-495-7660; email: brankman@fas.harvard.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar LAURIE G. BAISE LAURIE G. BAISE 2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, 113 Anderson Hall, Medford, MA 02155 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information CHARLES M. BRANKMAN 1. Present address: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, 20 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; phone: 617-495-0367; fax: 617-495-7660; email: brankman@fas.harvard.edu. 1William Lettis & Associates, Inc., 1777 Botelho Drive, Suite 262, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 LAURIE G. BAISE 2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, 113 Anderson Hall, Medford, MA 02155 Publisher: Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1558-9161 Print ISSN: 1078-7275 © 2008 Association of Engineering Geologists Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (2008) 14 (1): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.14.1.1 Article history First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation CHARLES M. BRANKMAN, LAURIE G. BAISE; Liquefaction Susceptibility Mapping in Boston, Massachusetts. Environmental & Engineering Geoscience 2008;; 14 (1): 1–16. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.14.1.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyEnvironmental & Engineering Geoscience Search Advanced Search Abstract The Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area has experienced several historic earthquakes of about magnitude 6.0. A compilation of surficial geologic maps of the Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area and geotechnical analyses of Quaternary sedimentary deposits using nearly 3,000 geotechnical borehole logs reveal varying levels of susceptibility of these units to earthquake-induced liquefaction, given the generally accepted design earthquake for the region (M6.0 with 0.12g Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA)). The majority of the boreholes are located within the extensive downtown artificial fill units, but they also allow characterization of the natural deposits outside the downtown area. The geotechnical data were complemented with surficial geologic mapping, combining published and unpublished geologic maps, aerial photographic interpretation, and soil stratigraphy data from an additional 12,000 geotechnical boring logs. Susceptibility maps were developed based on liquefaction-triggering threshold ground motions, which were determined using the borehole data. We find that much of the non-engineered artificial fill that underlies the downtown Boston area is, when saturated, highly susceptible to liquefaction during seismic loading. Holocene alluvial and marsh deposits in the region are also moderately to highly susceptible to liquefaction. Much of the outlying area is underlain by Pleistocene and Quaternary glacial and glaciofluvial deposits, which have low to moderate susceptibility to liquefaction. This study provides data needed to effectively manage liquefaction hazards in the Boston area, and it will assist in characterizing seismic hazards, mitigating risks, and providing information for urban planning and emergency response. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.