GEOTECHNICAL RECONNAISSANCE STUDY ON DAMAGE CAUSED BY 2001 GUJARAT EARTHQUAKE, INDIA

抄録

The Gujarat earthquake in India occurred in January, 2001, and caused significant damage in the province of Gujarat. The Japanese Geotechnical Society sent a small reconnaissance team to the damaged region after the quake. The present text presents the report from this activity. The major attention of the team was focused on geotechnical aspects of the damage which were related to earthfill dams and harbor land fills. It was found that a significant portion of damage was concentrated in fills resting on soft natural soils. Swedish weight soundings which were conducted at two places demonstrated the existence of such a soft subsoil. From this, it was concluded that amplification of earthquake shaking as well as the permanent deformation in the soft foundation soil induced such kinds of damage as subsidence, cracking, and lateral spreading in overlying artificial fills. For the better seismic resistance of those affected fills during future earthquakes, the improvement of soft subsoil seems essential.