Liquefaction Triggering at Sites Impacted by the 2016 Mw 5.8 Pawnee, Oklahoma, Induced Earthquake

Abstract Fracking and deep wastewater injection-induced seismicity in Oklahoma has led to over 1000 Mw>3 earthquakes over the last 16 yr, four of which had Mw>5. Furthermore, the 3 September 2016, Mw 5.8 Pawnee, Oklahoma, earthquake was the first induced event worldwide, that the authors are aware of, that triggered liquefaction, which raises concerns regarding liquefaction risk posed by induced earthquakes. To address these concerns, Quick et al. (2025) developed a new triggering model for evaluating the regional liquefaction hazard in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas (OTK) from induced earthquakes. As part of model development and validation, sites were characterized where liquefaction manifestations were and were not observed following the Pawnee earthquake. Liquefaction potential at each site was estimated using a new OTK-induced seismicity-specific liquefaction triggering model, as well as several models commonly used to evaluate liquefaction potential for tectonic earthquakes. Estimates were compared with field observations following the Pawnee event to assess the efficacy of these models. This analysis showed that at most sites, the induced seismicity-specific model more accurately predicted liquefaction severity than did models developed for tectonic earthquakes, which tended to overpredict liquefaction severity.