Soil Liquefaction Potential and Seismic Site Classification in the Northern Part of Babylon Governorate, Iraq

tabarek Alkhalidi; Abdul-Kareem H. Al-Rubaiee

Article Details

Soil Liquefaction Potential and Seismic Site Classification in the Northern Part of Babylon Governorate, Iraq

Authors:

tabarek Alkhalidi | Abdul-Kareem H. Al-Rubaiee

Publisher:

Iraqi Geologists Union (Union of Iraqi Geologists)

Journal:

The Iraqi Geological Journal Vol.59 Issue 1A, pp.153-173

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2026

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001836963

pISSN:

2663-8754

Keywords:

Abstract:

 The Seed and Idriss method was applied to selected sites in the northern part of Babylon Governorate to evaluate the potential for soil liquefaction by examining the relationship between maximum ground acceleration (amax/g) induced by earthquakes and the relative density of in-situ sandy deposits. Available Standard Penetration Test (SPT) data were utilized, and empirical correlations based on SPT results were employed to estimate the factor of safety against liquefaction. The results indicated that soils at Al-Mussaib and Al-Eskandariya sites showed susceptibility to liquefaction at shallow depths (around 3.5 m), while deeper layers were generally resistant; in contrast, the Al-Sadda site exhibited no significant liquefaction potential at the investigated depths. In parallel, shear wave velocity (Vs) measurements were performed to determine the seismic site classification, The calculated Vs30 values for the two sites ranged between 246 and 250 m/s, consistently classifying them as Site Class D (stiff soils) according to FEMA (2010) and PISC (2013). These findings highlight the combined liquefaction susceptibility and seismic site characterization of northern Babylon soils, providing valuable input for earthquake-resistant design and seismic hazard mitigation.

Article Details

Soil Liquefaction Potential and Seismic Site Classification in the Northern Part of Babylon Governorate, Iraq

Authors:

tabarek Alkhalidi | Abdul-Kareem H. Al-Rubaiee

Publisher:

Iraqi Geologists Union (Union of Iraqi Geologists)

Journal:

The Iraqi Geological Journal Vol.59 Issue 1A, pp.153-173

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2026

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001836963

pISSN:

2663-8754

Soil liquefaction

Standard Penetration Test (SPT)

Shear wave velocity (Vs30)

Seismic site classification

Issues

Article Details

Soil Liquefaction Potential and Seismic Site Classification in the Northern Part of Babylon Governorate, Iraq

Authors: tabarek Alkhalidi | Abdul-Kareem H. Al-Rubaiee

Publisher: Iraqi Geologists Union (Union of Iraqi Geologists)

Journal: The Iraqi Geological Journal Vol.59 Issue 1A, pp.153-173

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 1/2026

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001836963

pISSN: 2663-8754

Soil liquefaction

Standard Penetration Test (SPT)

Shear wave velocity (Vs30)

Seismic site classification

Issues

Authors:

tabarek Alkhalidi | Abdul-Kareem H. Al-Rubaiee

Publisher:

Iraqi Geologists Union (Union of Iraqi Geologists)

Journal:

The Iraqi Geological Journal Vol.59 Issue 1A, pp.153-173

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2026

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001836963

pISSN:

2663-8754