Assessment of liquefaction potential of soil based on standard penetration test for the upper Benue region in Nigeria

Determining a specific site ‘s geotechnical parameters is a crucial step in geotechnical analyses and designs in a seismically active area. In recent years, many parts of Nigeria have been subjected to several earthquakes; therefore, subsurface description has been a challenging task in geotechnical practice in this region. This paper aims to evaluate subsurface formation for soil liquefaction analysis at a sugar plant site located in Nigeria ‘s Upper Benue region. The study used data from the standard penetration test (SPT) measured at 28 boreholes and soil samples ‘ laboratory analysis. The liquefaction parameters were derived according to the procedure in Idriss and Boulanger (2014). Soil liquefaction has been evaluated, assuming an earthquake scenario of 7.5 Mw with a peak horizontal acceleration (amax) of 0.15 g. Results showed that the subsurface formation between 1.5 and 4.5 m is saturated loose to medium-dense sandy, silty clayey soil, and the liquefaction safety factor is less than 1. The Formation at a depth deeper than 4.5 m comprises very densely to stiff clayey sands with a safety factor higher than 1. The applied approach has been proved to be a rapid and reliable method for investigating sandy soil’s liquefaction under the effect of earthquakes.