Risk imposed on terpen due to liquefaction caused by induced earthquakes

Abstract

In total 326 terpen in the Netherlands are classified as national monuments. A large portion of the terpen are located in the province Groningen. Groningen is often in the news, because of the earthquakes that took place, which were caused by the gas-extraction activities. The earthquakes caused damage to infrastructure and they can also be a threat to the stability of the terpen. Since the earthquakes can lead to soil liquefaction. The goal of this report is to investigate the risk of liquefaction to the terpen due to induced earthquakes. Furthermore, fine sands was the most liquefiable soil type. The Naaldwijk and Eem formations have the highest liquefaction potential based on their soil compositions, densities and age. The Naaldwijk formation is the most prone to liquefaction since it is located more shallow in the underground. Afterwards, cone penetration test data was used to evaluate the soil classes, soil unit weights and soil behaviour indexes. The soil behaviour index values were used to asses the liquefaction potential. In the end, none of the three chosen terpen were liquefiable. Moreover, 2D and 3D visualizations were made in order to better understand the heights and slopes of the terpen.