This project addresses the lessons learned from the 17 October 1989 Northern California (Loma Prieta) earthquake. It is a continuation of the work that was funded through the Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) program: the objective of that award was to collect perishable data on the liquefaction sand boils and the superficial ground displacements in the Marina District of San Francisco resulting from the Loma Prieta earthquake. The objectives of this continuation research project are: to supplement the data collected with existing data on the Marina District; to complement the field observations with in- situ and laboratory tests; to compile and document a complete data set for case study analysis of liquefaction and site amplification; to evaluate, using this data set, the one-dimensional methods of site amplification and liquefaction; and to develop a nonlinear finite element model to analyze the site amplification and liquefaction of the Marina District during the Loma Prieta earthquake. The resulting improved understanding of the present methods of liquefaction analysis will have application to other areas at risk from earthquake-induced liquefaction, such as the Los Angeles coast, whose geological conditions possess relevant similarities to those of the Marina District.
