NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.
Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.
An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Liquefaction Evaluation of Densified Sand at Approach to Pier 1 on Treasure Island, California, Using SASW Method
Published
Author(s)
R D. Andrus, K H. Stokoe, R M. Chung, J A. Bay
Abstract
Areas of improved and unimproved soil near berthing Pier 1 at Treasure Island, California, were investigated by the Spectral-Analysis-of-Surface-Waves (SASW) test. The upper 12 m of sand fill beneath the approach to the pier had been densified by a vibrating probe technique in 1985. The area of improved soil, which is 23 m wide and 93 m long, performed well during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (moment magnitude = 7.0) while sinkholes, sand boils and cracks formed in the adjacent unimproved areas. SASW tests were conducted on a 240-m-long alignment that extended across the area of improved soil using a seismic vibrator as the principal source with receiver spacings from 7.6 m to 76 m. Average shear wave velocities determined for the densified and undensified sand fill below the water table were 192 m/s and 167 m/s, respectively. Two simplified analytical procedures based on shear wave velocity correctly predict no liquefaction for the densified sand, and marginal liquefaction for the undensified sand. Although less conservative, liquefaction assessment procedures based on the SPT and CPT provide similar predictions.
Andrus, R.
, Stokoe, K.
, Chung, R.
and Bay, J.
(1998),
Liquefaction Evaluation of Densified Sand at Approach to Pier 1 on Treasure Island, California, Using SASW Method, NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
(Accessed October 13, 2025)