A Liquefaction Potential Map for Cache Valley, Utah
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Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 5-1979 A Liquefaction Potential Map for Cache Valley, Utah Randall Jones Hill Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Hill, Randall Jones, "A Liquefaction Potential Map for Cache Valley, Utah" (1979). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 4523. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4523 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A LIQUEFACTION POTENTIAL MAP FOR CACHE VALLEY, UTAH by Randall Jones Hill A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Engineering Approved: UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 1979 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to extend appreciation to faculty members, students, and all those who have helped in the completion of this study and the writer's graduate program at Utah State. Special appreciation is extended to Dr. Loren R. Anderson, the writers major professor. Dr . Anderson has provided the writer with many helpful suggestions and generously donated many hours of his time in initiating and completing this study . His guidance in the writer's undergraduate and graduate programs is also greatly appreciated. Appreciation is also expressed to the other members of the committee, Dr. Fred W. Kiefer and Dr. Irving S. Dunn. A very special thanks is extended to the writer's wife, Cathy, and t o his f amily for their support and encouragement throughout this study. Thanks is also extended to Utah State University for financial support during this study. Randall J. Hill iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES viii ABSTRACT X CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of Problem 1 General 1 Definition of liquefaction 2 Case histories 2 Technological advances 9 Purpose of Study 10 Study Area 13 Location 13 Population 13 Industry 13 Methodology 15 CHAPTER 2 - REVIEW OF LITERATURE 17 General •....... 17 Definition of Liquefaction 17 Definitiion for this study 20 Mechanism of Liquefaction 20 Factors Affecting Liquefaction 24 General . 24 Induced shearing stresses-seismic parameter s 25 General . • . 25 Intensity of ground shaking 26 Duration of ground shaking . 27 Magnitude-distance relationship 28 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS (C'.ontinued) Page Required shearing stresses-geotechnical parameters 28 General ... 28 Soil type 29 Density state 30 Initial confining pressures 31 Soil structure (method of deposition) 32 Age of deposit 32 Depth to groundwater 33 Seismic history 33 Method of Analysis 35 General 35 Simplified method 35 Empirical methods 39 Probabilistic and statistical methods 43 Other methods 45 CHAPTER 3 - LIQUEFACTION SUSCEPTIBILITY MAP 46 General . • . 46 Geologic Setting 46 Location and structure of Cache Valley 46 Fault systems 47 Soil deposition 48 Soil Types 51 General 51 William's Map 53 SCS Maps . 56 Geotechnical Reports 57 Groundwater . • . 57 Susceptibility Classification 60 General 60 Age of deposit 62 Soil type 62 Depth to groundwater 62 Factors not included 63 Initial susceptibility 64 v TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) page Pre-Quaternary deposits ... .. 64 Qf - Pre-Lake Bonneville fan gravel 65 Qm - Pre-Lake Bonneville landslide . 65 Qbb- Lake Bonneville bench gravel 65 Qab- Alpine and Bonneville formations: gravel. 65 Qaf- Alpine and Bonneville formations: silt and · fine sand ....•. 65 Qpb-Provo formation: gravel and sand member 66 Qpc-Provo formation: silt and clay member 66 Qlm-Lake Bonneville and Post- Lake Bonneville landslides . • . 66 Qlf-Post-Lake Bonneville fan gravel 66 Qlg-Post-Lake Bonneville flood-plain gravel and sand ............ · · · · · 67 Qls-Post-Lake Bonneville flood-plain sand and silt . ......... · · · 67 Qll-Post-Lake Bonneville alluvial sand in natural levees of Bear River .. 67 Qlw-Post-Lake Bonneville slope wash 67 Qld-Post-Lake Bonneville eolian sand 68 Qlt-Post-Lake Bonneville spring tufa 68 Final susceptibility 68 Liquefaction Susceptibility Map 70 CHAPTER 4 - LIQUEFACTION OPPORTUNITY MAP 72 General n Development of Cache Valley Map 72 Seismicity . 72 Opportunity for liquefaction 75 Liquefaction Opportunity Map ... 77 CHAPTER 5 - LIQUEFACTION POTENTIAL MAP 79 CHAPTER 6 - SUMMARY • . 81 Discussion of results 81 General 81 Liquefaction susceptibility map 81 Liquefaction opportunity map 83 Liquefaction potential map 83 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page Recommendations 84 LITERATURE CITED 86 APPENDIX 91 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Susceptibility matrix - estimated susceptibility of soil deposits to liquefaction , based on age of deposit, soil type, and depth to groundwater 71 Initial classification of soil deposits 92 3· Estimated susceptibility of sedimentary deposits to liquefaction during strong seismic shaking (after Youd and Perkins, 1977 ) . • • . 93 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Tilting of apartment buildings in Niigata, Japan, 1964 (after Seed and Idriss, 1967) 4 Sewage treatment tank floated to ground surface (after Seed and ldriss, 1967) .. .•. 4 3. Springs developing during earthquake in Niigata, Japan, 1964 (after Seed and Idriss, 1967) 5 4. Aerial view of Turnagain Heights Landslide in Alaska, 1964 (after Seed and Wilson, 1967) 6 5. Collapsed crest of the Lower San Fernando Dam (after Lew Leyendecker, and Dikkers, 1971) • 8 Seismic zone map of the United States (after Uniform Building Code, 1976) 11 7. Study area location map 14 s. Sketch illustrating propagation of cyclic shearing stress through the soil profile 21 9· Schematic illustration of mechanism of pore pressure generation during cyclic loading (after Seed, 1976) 23 10. Method of evaluating liquefaction potential (after Seed and Idriss, 1971) • • • . 36 ll· Evaluation of liquefaction potential for very fine 40 sand - 20 stress cycles (after Seed and Idriss, 1971) 12. Correlation between stress ratio causing liquefaction in the field and penetration resistance of sand (after Seed, Mori, and Chan, 1977) •...•. 41 13. Location of seismic sources (after Cluff, Glass, and Brogan, 1974; Greenwood, 1978) 49 14 . Diagrammatic cross section of Cache Valley from Cache Butte through Amalga and Smithfield (after Williams, 1962) • • • . 52 15. Geologic map of Southern Cache Valley, Utah (after Williams, 1962) . ............ 54 ix LIST OF FIGURES continued Figure Page 16. Relation of confined, unconfined, and perched ground water in Cache Valley (after Bjorklund and McGreevy, 1971) . • . • . • .... •. ••... 59 17. Map showing relation of water levels to land surface in Cache Valley, Utah and Idaho {after Bjorklund and McGreevy, 1971) • . • . • 61 18 . Liquefaction susceptibility map showing the susceptible soil deposits in Cache Valley, Utah . .. 69 19. Number of earthquake events versus Richter Magnitude for the Cache Valley Source Area for 126 years {after Greenwood, 1978) . • . • •... 74 20. Earthquake magnitude versus maximum distance to signifi cant liquefaction-induced ground failures {after Youd and Perkins, 1977) . ..• .•. • ... .• . .. 76 21 · Liquefaction opportunity map for Cache Valley, Utah {after Greenwood, 1978) ...••••.....• 78 22 · Liquefaction potential map for Cache Valley, Utah 80 X ABSTRACT A Liquefaction Potential Map for Cache Valley, Utah by Randall J. Hill, Master of Science Utah State University, 1979 Major Professor: Dr. Loren Runar Anderson Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering The identification of liquefaction susceptible soil deposits in Cache Valley, Utah and the relative potential that these deposits have for liquefaction were the two main purposes of this study. A liquefac- tion susceptibility map was developed to outline areas where liquefaction might occur during an earthquake. The susceptibility map was combined with a liquefaction opportunity map to produce a liquefaction potential map for Cache Valley, Utah. The opportunity map for Cache Valley was developed in a companion study, Greenwood (1978) . The development of the susceptibility map and the opportunity map and combining them to form a liquefaction potential map for Cache Valley was based on a procedure developed by Youd and Perkins (1977) . The liquefaction potential map is a general location map and will be a useful tool for preliminary planning by governmental agencies, planners, developers, and contractors. The use of the liquefaction potential map by these various groups will aid them in avoiding possible problem areas for project locations. It will also be a guide for fur- ther analysis of specific sites where liquefaction is probable. (106 pages) CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Statement of Problem General In the past, ground failures caused by earthquakes have been a serious problem that has had little understanding. However, because of the extensive loss of life and tremendous amounts of damage that earth quakes and resulting ground failures have caused in the last 50 to 60 years, many investigators have been studying these natural phenomena. It has only been within the last 10-15 years that ground failures caused by the mechanism of liquefaction has been understood in any de tail. There are still, unfortunately, many questions to be answered before the informa•ion now available will be of benefit in eliminating the damages caused by