13 pages, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY
The evaluation of the potential for slope sliding and/or liquefaction failure of earthen
dams subjected to earthquake loadings is most often based on deterministic procedure of
both the excitation input and of the physical model. Such treatment provides answers in the
form of either factor of safety values or a yes or no as to whether liquefaction will occur
or not. Uncertainties in the physical properties of the soil in the embankment and the
foundation layers underlying the dam are typically treated with parametric studies. While
extensive soil testing can compensate for the luck of such information, questions on what
deterministic earthquake to use as representative of the site remain.
