← Back to Sessions

Ground Failure Triggered by the 2020 M6.4 Puerto Rico Earthquake

Description: 

The mainshock of the Puerto Rico earthquake sequence that started in late 2019, an M6.4 on January 7, 2020, triggered over 300 rock falls and slides that obstructed roads and damaged structures, primarily concentrated where shaking accelerations exceeded 30%g. Shaking from the mainshock also caused liquefaction, cracking, and other ground deformation that damaged homes, a power plant, buildings, and bridges. These impacts occurred primarily in coastal areas where shaking exceeded 50%g but some of the worst liquefaction damage occurred where shaking was as low as 20%g. We present a summary of the ground failure that occurred and its effects on humans and the built environment based on our field campaign and remote sensing observations. We compare ground failure triggered by this earthquake with that from past events in Puerto Rico and other similar environments, and discuss the performance of existing ground failure models for this event and how they can be improved. Detailed inventorying of ground failure from this relatively moderate ground failure event is essential because no geospatial datasets of earthquake-triggered ground failure previously existed for Puerto Rico.

Session: The 2020-2021 Southwest Puerto Rico Seismic Sequence: Current State of Knowledge and Implications

Type: Oral

Date: 4/18/2023

Presentation Time: 08:15 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Kate Allstadt

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: 

Authors