Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), NSF NHERI 2024: Assessment of Soil Liquefaction Potential in Portland, Oregon, with Cone Penetrometer Testing (CPT)

The focus of this poster, presentation, and paper is the assessment of liquefaction potential at a site in Portland, Oregon with cone penetrometer testing (CPT). The validity of CPT for evaluating liquefaction potential is examined and the results can be used to investigate the effectiveness of Microbially Induced Desaturation (MID), a method of liquefaction mitigation conducted at the site. This project is distinctive due to the application of CPT with the Large Scale Mobile Shakers in pursuit of establishing a base liquefaction potential to compare with an area treated with the liquefaction mitigation technique. This location is near the Portland airport, so the information regarding whether or not the area will liquefy would be crucial in the event of a high magnitude earthquake, which this area is vulnerable to. This research is of use to those interested in geotechnical engineering and seismic events, specifically the phenomenon of earthquake- triggered liquefaction.