A COMPARATIVE REVIEW ON LIQUEFACTION POTENTIAL OF KATHMANDU LACUSTRINE DEPOSITS BASED ON THE PREDICTED LIQUEFACTION SITES AND LOCATIONS OBSERVED DURING THE 2015 GORKHA EARTHQUAKE.

In Nepal, historic earthquakes have shown extensive liquefaction in different areas of the country, including its capital, Kathmandu Valley. The 1833 and 1934 earthquakes caused significant harm due to liquefaction. An earthquake of moment Mw7.8 struck on 25 April, 2015, keeping the epicentre at the central part of Nepal. Although damages due to liquefaction were limited, several surface manifestations were observed at various places in the valley. This paper summarises the field reconnaissance concerning the liquefaction cases in Kathmandu after the mainshock. The field observations, alongside results from liquefaction evaluation, contrasts with the previous liquefaction studies conducted before the 2015 Earthquake for the valley. To evaluate the irregularity of existing maps with the ground manifestations caused by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, we utilised the geotechnical database gathered from 400 locations before the quake and 10 boreholes drilled before the 2015 Gorkha earthquake to conduct quantitative analyses and modelling using simplified procedure by Idriss and Boulanger (2008). Likewise, the susceptibility of affected zones to liquefaction during the 2015 Gorkha earthquake is depicted, and utilized standard technique is validated to estimate liquefaction hazard in Kathmandu Valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]