Building damage associated with geotechnical problems in the 2011 Tohoku Pacific Earthquake

An overview of the geotechnical aspects of the building damage due to the 2011 Tohoku Pacific Earthquake is presented, based on field reconnaissance made after the earthquake. It is shown that (1) Extensive soil liquefaction occurred along the coast of Tokyo Bay and around the floodplain of the Tonegawa River. Liquefaction was primarily found within the relatively newly reclaimed area, with numerous sand boils and large ground settlements up to 60 cm, accompanied by the settlement/tilting of wooden and reinforced concrete buildings supported by spread foundations. The extent and the distribution of the damage were significantly affected by the local soil conditions, including the thickness and the age of the reclaimed fills, the depth to the bedrock or the natural site period, and whether remedial measures had been taken against soil liquefaction, as well as the effects of structure-soil-structure interaction. (2) Numerous houses in Sendai's hilly residential areas constructed with the cut-and fill method were badly damaged not only by the simple collapse of retaining walls, but also by slope failures in the fills. It was found that most of the slope failures occurred on earth fills. (3) Several pile-supported buildings tilted and settled not only in the Tohoku region, but also on the Kanto plain, implying damage to pile foundations. Ground subsidence with sand boils around those buildings suggests that soil liquefaction might have played a significant role in intensifying the damage. (4) Within Onagawa and Rikuzen-Takata, several steel and reinforced concrete structures were knocked over by tsunami surges, probably after having suffered damage to their pile foundations. Much of the pile damage was concentrated (a) at the joints between pile caps and the piles themselves and (b) near the pile heads. The buildings suffering such damage were old; apparently their pile foundations were not designed to withstand earthquakes.