Liquefaction-induced lateral spread in Lo Rojas, Coronel, Chile. Field study and numerical modeling

The paper describes a detailed field survey conducted at Lo Rojas fishermen port in Coronel, where extensive liquefaction-induced lateral spread was reported for the 2010, Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake. The survey includes SPT and SCPT soundings, as well as the use of surface-based geophysical techniques. The data was used to evaluate a multilinear regression (MLR) lateral-spread expression and to develop a detailed hydro-mechanical finite element model. Results of the MLR equation were over-conservative and proved to be very sensitive to the distance from the site to the energy source. On the other hand, the results from the numerical model agreed reasonably well with the post-event field observations.