Earthquake-induced liquefaction features in the coastal setting of South Carolina and in the fluvial setting of the New Madrid Seismic Zone

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · United States Geological Survey, Professional Paper; (USA)

OSTI ID:5542350

Obermeier, S F; Jacobson, R B; Smoot, J P; Weems, R E; Gohn, G S; Powars, D S ^[1]; Monroe, J E ^[2]

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1. Geological Survey, Reston, VA (USA)
2. Army Corps of Engineering, Memphis, TN (USA)

In both coastal South Carolina and the New Madrid seismic zone, the earthquake-induced liquefaction features generally originated in clean sand deposits that contain no or few intercalated silt- or clay-rich strata. The local geologic setting is a major influence on both development and surface expression of sand blows. Major factors controlling sand-blow formation include the thickness and physical properties of the deposits above the source sands, and these relationships are illustrated by comparing sand blows found in coastal South Carolina (in marine deposits) with sand blows found in the New Madrid seismic zone (in fluvial deposits). In coastal South Carolina, the surface stratum is typically a thin (about 1 m) soil that is weakly cemented with humate, and the sand blows are expressed as craters surrounded by a thin sheet of sand; in the New Madrid seismic zone the surface stratum generally is a clay-rich deposit ranging in thickness from 2 to 10 m, in which case sand blows characteristically are expressed as sand mounded above the original ground surface. Recognition of the various features described in this paper, and identification of the most probable origin for each, provides a set of important tools for understanding paleoseismicity in areas such as the Central and Eastern US where faults are not exposed for study and strong seismic activity is infrequent.

• OSTI ID: 5542350
• Journal Information: United States Geological Survey, Professional Paper; (USA), Vol. 1504
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
EARTHQUAKES
SEISMIC EFFECTS
MISSOURI
SOILS
LIQUEFACTION
SOUTH CAROLINA
CLAYS
COASTAL REGIONS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC MODELS
GEOLOGIC STRATA
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
GROUND MOTION
ORIGIN
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SAND
SEISMICITY
THICKNESS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DIMENSIONS
FEDERAL REGION IV
FEDERAL REGION VII
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
MOTION
NORTH AMERICA
SEISMIC EVENTS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
USA
580000* - Geosciences