Investigation and analysis of liquefaction-induced debris flows in Palu, Indonesia following the 28th September 2018 Central Sulawesi Earthquake

Richard Lagesse (Lead / Corresponding author), Andrew Brennan, Ibnu Rusdy

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

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Abstract

On the 28th September 2018, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 Mw occurred on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, approximately 80 km north of the city of Palu. The earthquake caused significant damage to buildings and infrastructure in the city and surrounding area as well as triggering a number of extensive ground failures. This paper considers the largest three ground failure occurrences in the city districts of Balaroa and Petobo as well as at the town of Sidera to the southeast of the city. The Balaroa and Petobo ground failures alone are thought to have accounted for over half of the overall human losses from the disaster and therefore a more thorough evaluation of their characteristics is warranted. These failures were initially perceived to be soil liquefaction due to ground shaking alone but findings from the Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT) field mission in November 2018 revealed that the failure mechanisms, causal factors and runout characteristics are more complex. This paper presents the findings of the field investigation as well a more detailed analysis of these failures with a view to informing mitigation strategy and planning policy in Palu and elsewhere to reduce potential future losses.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages11
Publication statusPublished - 13 Sept 2020
Event17th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (17WCEE) - Sendai, Japan
Duration: 13 Sept 202018 Sept 2020

Conference

Conference17th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (17WCEE)
Country/TerritoryJapan
CitySendai
Period13/09/2018/09/20

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