Earthquake Engineering for Slopes, Retaining Walls, Underground, and Buried Structures

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Assess seismic hazards and their implications for geotechnical, underground, and buried infrastructure.
• Apply concepts of ground motion, site response, and dynamic soil behaviour to seismic design problems.
• Evaluate seismic slope stability and retaining wall performance under earthquake loading.
• Identify seismic design considerations for tunnels, shafts, pipelines, culverts, and other buried structures.
• Apply soil–structure interaction principles to support performance-based seismic design decisions.

Description

Seismic loading can create complex demands on geotechnical systems, particularly where slopes, retaining structures, underground facilities, and buried infrastructure are exposed to ground shaking, cyclic soil behaviour, liquefaction, ground deformation, or fault movement. These conditions require professionals to understand not only the seismic hazard itself, but also how soils and structures interact under dynamic loading.

This course provides a structured introduction to geotechnical earthquake engineering for slopes, retaining walls, underground structures, and buried infrastructure. You will examine seismic hazard and ground motion fundamentals, site response, dynamic soil behaviour, liquefaction, ground response analysis, and soil–structure interaction as they apply to practical design and evaluation problems.

Through technical examples and case-based discussion, you will develop a stronger basis for assessing seismic performance, identifying vulnerabilities in existing systems, and applying earthquake-resistant design approaches. The course emphasizes practical engineering judgment, performance-based thinking, and the protection of infrastructure systems where seismic risk must be addressed as part of responsible design and asset management.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for:

• Geotechnical engineers involved in seismic assessment, analysis, or design
• Structural engineers working with foundations, retaining structures, or infrastructure systems
• Civil engineering consultants responsible for geotechnical or infrastructure projects
• Municipal engineers and infrastructure planners in earthquake-prone regions
• Construction professionals involved in underground, buried, or earth-retaining structures
• Researchers, educators, and technical specialists seeking to strengthen their understanding of geotechnical earthquake engineering

Seismic Hazard and Ground Motion Fundamentals

• Earthquake sources and ground shaking characteristics
• Seismic hazard analysis and site response
• Ground motion parameters

Dynamic Soil Behaviour and Soil–Structure Interaction

• Soil behavious under cyclic loading
• Liquefaction and its effects on geotechnical systems
• Ground response analysis

Earthquake-Resistant Design of Slopes and Retaining Structures

• Seismic slope stability analysis methods
• Design of retaining walls under seismic loading

Underground and Buried Structures in Seismic Zones

• Seismic design of tunnels, shafts, and underground facilities
• Buried pipelines and culverts: seismic considerations
• Ground deformation and fault crossing effects