Liquefaction Study of Subsurface Soil in Part of Delhi University, North Campus

International Journal of Advancement in Earth and Environmental Science

Dericks Praise Shukla.

2013-01-01

Liquefaction and related phenomena have been responsible for tremendous amounts of damage in historical earthquakes around the world, especially in the cities built on young alluvial deposits. Delhi, the second most populated city of India is also one of the favorable sites for earthquake amplification with liquefiable younger alluvium. According to Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS 1893, Part 1:2002), Delhi falls in the high damage risk zone and can feel destruction up to MSK VIII (or MSK-64; Medvedev-Sponheuer-Karnik Scale). Though the city has a number of high rise buildings, it still continues to construct the high rise buildings and other mega structure, especially in the north campus area of the Delhi University. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the liquefiable subsurface soil in part of Delhi University North Campus. This study revealed that the average depth of liquefiable sub-surface soil in the study area is more than 8 meters. The study concluded that the area is highly susceptible to earthquake liquefaction and required appropriate mitigation to reduce the risk.