Site characterization studies along coastal Andhra Pradesh—India using multichannel analysis of surface waves

Multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) technique was employed for site characterization studies at the identified lineament locations along coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh covering ~600km to measure the shear wave velocity. The shear (S)-wave velocity of near surface materials (such as soil, rocks and pavement) and its effect on seismic wave propagation are of fundamental interest in many groundwater, engineering and environmental studies. Geologically, the study area comprises of Precambrian basement over which younger rocks commencing with Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary and Quaternary have given rise to varying sequences in different parts. The study has been conducted along the lineaments and these were selected based on the analysis of IRS-1D LISS-IV satellite images and the field geological investigation. The average shear wave velocity, stiffness and the liquefaction potential were evaluated by using the obtained shear wave velocities. Soils are classified into four categories as soft soils, stiff soils, dense soils/soft rock and hard rock based on the obtained shear wave velocities. The factor of safety (FS) against liquefaction is determined and it is found that the sites with low shear wave velocity have FS <1 and these are possible liquefiable zones. The results of this study are useful to study the earthquake hazard assessment, and also taking the necessary precautions in the vicinity of the faults/lineaments for the construction of engineering projects such as pipelines, dams, bridges, canal alignments, and cross-drainage structures.