Sat Nov 16 21:28:38 IST 2024: **Improved Earthquake Liquefaction Predictions Enabled by New Dataset**

**Austin, TX** – A new dataset, PRJ-4022, is significantly improving the accuracy of earthquake liquefaction predictions, a crucial step in mitigating the devastating effects of this geological phenomenon. The dataset, developed by researchers at UCLA and the University of Nevada, Reno, and recently awarded a 2024 DesignSafe Dataset award, provides consistently computed ground motion intensity measures for liquefaction triggering assessment. Liquefaction, where soil loses its stiffness during an earthquake, can cause catastrophic building collapses.

The team, led by Renmin Pretell (UNR), utilized a systematic approach to calculate peak ground acceleration and other crucial measures (peak ground velocity, Arias intensity, and cumulative absolute velocity) at 565 case history sites. This improved technique revealed significant discrepancies between previously used peak ground acceleration values and their new estimations.

The dataset leverages data from the Next Generation Liquefaction Database (NGL) and the Next Generation Attenuation Projects (NGA), incorporating data from earthquakes worldwide. Unlike raw data, PRJ-4022 offers a refined collection of ground motion intensity measures, making it readily usable for researchers and engineers.

A key advantage is the dataset’s accessibility. It’s publicly available on the NHERI DesignSafe cyberinfrastructure and includes a user-friendly Python-based Jupyter notebook. Users can input site location and soil parameters to compute ground motion intensity measures. The team also actively updates the dataset on GitHub, ensuring its continuous improvement and reflecting the evolving understanding of liquefaction. The dataset has already been applied to analyzing the February 2023 Türkiye earthquakes and the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.

According to Pretell, this dataset represents a significant advancement, allowing for more precise liquefaction risk assessments, potentially saving lives and infrastructure in the future. The improved models and data will aid researchers and engineers in evaluating the liquefaction potential of future developments and infrastructure projects.

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