The 2015 Gorkha Nepal earthquake caused tremendous damage and loss. To gain valuable lessons from this tragic event, an earthquake damage investigation team was dispatched to Nepal from 1 May 2015 to 7 May 2015. A unique aspect of the earthquake damage investigation is that first-hand earthquake damage data were obtained 6 to 11 days after the mainshock. To gain deeper understanding of the observed earthquake damage in Nepal, the paper reviews the seismotectonic setting and regional seismicity in Nepal and analyzes available aftershock data and ground motion data. The earthquake damage observations indicate that the majority of the damaged buildings were stone/brick masonry structures with no seismic detailing, whereas the most of RC buildings were undamaged. This indicates that adequate structural design is the key to reduce the earthquake risk in Nepal. To share the gathered damage data widely, the collected damage data (geo-tagged photos and observation comments) are organized using Google Earth and the kmz file is made publicly available.

Widespread liquefaction occurred in the end-dumped gravelly fills and hydraulically-placed dredged sandy fill at the CentrePort of Wellington as a result of the 14 November 2016 Mw7.8 Kaikoura earthquake. This liquefaction resulted in substantial global (mass) settlement and lateral movement (spreading) of the fills towards the sea, which adversely affected wharf structures and buildings constructed on shallow and deep foundations. This paper presents key observations from the QuakeCoRE-GEER post-earthquake reconnaissance efforts at the CentrePort Wellington. The different materials and methods used to construct the reclaimed land at CentrePort influenced the patterns of observed liquefaction and its effects. Areas of gravel liquefaction at the port are especially important due to the limited number of these case histories in the literature. Liquefaction-induced ground deformations caused the wharves to displace laterally and damage their piles and offloading equipment. Lateral ground extension and differential settlement damaged buildings, whereas buildings in areas of uniform ground settlement without lateral extension performed significantly better.

End-of-life tires (ELTs) represent a great source of readily available, low-cost and sustainable construction materials having excellent engineering properties. Their reuse (in the form of granulated rubber mixed with soils) in large-volume recycling civil (geotechnical) engineering applications would be beneficial and should be encouraged. It is estimated that at present worldwide only less than 10% of ELTs are reused in geotechnical applications, while nearly 40% are recycled as tire-derived fuel. Although many studies have focused on the material characterization of soil-rubber mixtures (SRMs), it appears that the results of such investigations have not been properly compiled and compared, making it difficult to fully understand the potential applicability of SRMs. In an attempt to provide useful insights facilitating the use of SRMs as geotechnical construction materials, this review paper presents a comprehensive review of published research on the engineering properties of granular soils (i.e., mainly sand and gravel) blended with various recycled rubber inclusions. Available experimental data are scrutinized, and the results of the analyses are presented and discussed primarily in terms of effects of rubber content and aspect ratio (ratio of rubber to gravel median particle sizes) on compaction, permeability, strength and compression properties along with dynamic and cyclic deformation characteristics of SRMs. This review paper may help to alleviate the concerns of designers and consumers and encourage and further promote the use of recycled rubber tires on a larger scale in civil engineering projects.