Geotechnical Aspects of the 2004 Niigata Ken Chuetsu, Japan, Earthquake

Abstract

The Niigata Ken Chuetsu earthquake induced significant geotechnical and geologic failures throughout the affected region. The most prevalent geotechnical observations from this earthquake are related to ground failure, including landslides in natural ground, failures of highway embankments and residential earth fills, and limited liquefaction in alluvial deposits. The absence of considerable levee deformations and surface faulting was noted. This paper documents the geotechnical aspects of the Niigata Ken Chuetsu earthquake as related to earth structures, liquefaction, and surface faulting; landslides are discussed in an accompanying paper.