Geotechnical observations from the 2023 Kahramanmaraş EEFIT reconnaissance mission

抄録

On February 6, 2023, the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes struck eastern Turkiye, causing significant loss of life and serious damage to infrastructure and buildings. Two main events struck on the same day, both on the East Anatolian Fault. The first was of Mw 7.7 and the second, striking about nine hours later, of Mw 7.6. An extensive area spanning eleven provinces was affected. In March 2023, the UK-based Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT) organised a mission that included virtual remote-sensing and field reconnaissance teams. Remote-sensing, with high resolution Maxar Open Data Program satellite imagery, identified areas severely affected by geotechnical hazards and associated failures prior to the field visit. Field reconnaissance then undertook detailed technical evaluation and data collection to assess the characteristics of the observed geotechnical hazards, the performance of structures and their foundations, and the effectiveness of associated design codes. In this paper, we present the major geotechnical observations from this mission. Our observations cover a multitude of geotechnical failures, including landslides and rockfalls, liquefaction and subsidence, lateral spreading, as well as fault surface rupture and interaction with buildings. General conclusions about specific design types and practices are given at the end of the paper.