The damage to underground structures by the 2023 February 6 great Turkish earthquakes with a special emphasis on Erkenek tunnels

Abstract

The doublet disastrous earthquakes occurred on February 6, 2023 in the south-east part of Türkiye. Several roadways and railway and underpass tunnels were damaged by the earthquakes. In addition, many rockfalls occurred at the portals of railway and roadway tunnels. The damage by faulting was quite severe at the railway tunnel near Ozan village and the relative slip was more than 200 cm. The damage to concrete lining of the new Erkenek tunnels occurred at several places. The damage in the new Erkenek tunnels may be related to mass movements caused by heavy ground shaking. Sinkholes occurred in several locations including urbanized areas. In this study, the damage to underground structures by the doublet earthquakes are presented with some emphasis on Erkenek tunnels. The causes of damages are described and their implications on seismic design of underground structures are discussed. © 2024 The Author(s).