Themes and Topics

Conference Theme

The Conference is organized by the Technical Committee 4 (Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering) of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. It will be hosted from June 25 to June 28, 2007, by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Laboratory of Soil Mechanics, Foundation Engineering and Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering).

Thessaloniki (Greece) represents a modern and easily accessible location for inviting colleagues from all over Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Pacific regions to join, share and discuss on-going advances in soil dynamics and geotechnical earthquake engineering.

The construction of complex infrastructures and the currently imposed safety requirements, render soil dynamics and geotechnical earthquake engineering a field of increasing significance to modern societies.

Lessons from recent and past earthquakes and numerous interesting research efforts provide both an incentive and a window of opportunity to achieve advances in many fields at this time. The conference will provide a forum for communication and dissemination of on-going advances in both research and practice, its aim being to encourage continuous efforts at advancing practice in all fields.


Conference Topics

The conference will address a wide range of topics spanning a number of areas in which ongoing advances are made within the field of earthquake geotechnics and soil dynamics. The conference will touch on the following topics:


1 Soil dynamics: Field and Laboratory testing
2 Soil-site characterisation and dynamic soil modelling
3 Analytical and numerical methods
4 Seismic hazard and strong ground motion
5 Site effects and microzonation
6 Soil-structure interaction
7 Soil liquefaction and liquefaction countermeasures
8 Slopes, embankments, dams and waste fills
9 Earth-retaining and waterfront structures
10 Shallow and deep foundations
11 Underground structures
12 Lifeline earthquake engineering
13 Vulnerability assessment of geotechnical structures
14 Seismic performance and vulnerability of monuments and historical centres related to geotechnical engineering
15 Blasting and other artificially made dynamic loading
16 Performance based design
17 Active and passive control of response related to geotechnical engineering
18 Codes, policy issues, insurance and standard of practice
19 Case histories, observation and lessons from recent and past earthquakes