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Towards a national map of soil liquefaction susceptibility : modeling with heuristic and geotechnical methods

ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

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Title Towards a national map of soil liquefaction susceptibility : modeling with heuristic and geotechnical methods
Names Lindsley, Adam E. (creator)
Noller, Jay S. (advisor)
Date Issued 2014-09-09 (iso8601)
Note Graduation date: 2015
Abstract This study investigates the use of predictive mapping techniques as well as
geotechnical criteria in developing a multiregional soil liquefaction model and
subsequent maps. The maps were produced using National Cooperative Soil Survey
data, in the gSSURGO format, combined with soil liquefaction data gathered from
studies, articles, and traditional seismic hazard maps. Geotechnical liquefaction
studies are typically conducted at depths greater than three meters. This study and
maps are not intended to replace detailed, site-specific investigations, but rather to
provide regional interpretations of soil liquefaction susceptibility in surface soils of
zero to three meters depth. The common digital soil mapping (DSM) models,
Adaptive Boosting, Random Forest and CART were applied to the data, with
boosting providing greatest accuracy. A second model, composed of simplified recent
geotechnical liquefaction criteria was also fit to the data, to provide a comparator.
Study areas include Washington State (WA), Oregon (OR), Arkansas (AR), Missouri
(MO), and South Carolina (SC), with liquefaction susceptibility maps produced for
OR & SC. Results indicate that a boosting model composed of WA & OR data
adequately describes liquefaction data from AR, MO & SC with F-measures ranging
from 0.92-0.97, while performing less well for OR & WA (F-measures ~0.69). The
simplified geotechnical model had moderate to substantial prediction agreement with
the DSM model when considered at the map unit level. For rapid, initial, liquefaction
susceptibility assessment, the application of simplified geotechnical liquefaction
criteria, with the addition of parent material and soil moisture status, to soil survey
data is effective. For surface investigation in greater detail, the boosting model
provides a more nuanced view of liquefaction susceptibility.
Genre Thesis/Dissertation
Topic soil liquefaction
Identifier http://hdl.handle.net/1957/52389

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