Abstract
A map depicting the liquefaction susceptibility of the near surface soils in Charleston, South Carolina, is presented in this paper. The map shows five zones of different susceptibility. Susceptibility was defined as the critical ground acceleration required to cause liquefaction of the soil. Critical acceleration was obtained using the simplified method developed by Seed and Idriss (1981), Seed and others (1983 (1985), and Seed and DeAlba (1986). This method relates Standard Penetration Test resistance and the cyclic shear stress required to cause liquefaction at sites that have experienced shaking in the past to liquefaction susceptibility. Typical soil profiles of peninsular Charleston are presented to show the wide variability of the subsoil conditions in the area. This variability is due to the large amount of filling that took place over 300 yr to reclaim land from the sea and from the swamps and creeks that covered much of the original peninsula.
