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Paleoliquefaction studies provide valuable information for seismic hazard analyses in areas where the return period of moderate to large events is longer than the duration of the historical earthquake catalog (e.g., Central-Eastern and Pacific Northwest United States). Toward this end, paleoliquefaction studies require accurate and detailed assessments of individual features and of the extent of the paleoliquefaction field for the event, with the difficulty of accurately interpreting field observations increasing in areas where recurrent liquefaction was triggered by spatiotemporally clustered paleo events. Accordingly, undisturbed features formed by recurrent liquefaction during the 2010–2011 Canterbury, New Zealand, earthquake sequence were studied to facilitate interpretation of paleoliquefaction analogs. Silt drapes demarcated multiple episodes of liquefaction in the sand blows, with the thickness of the silt drapes correlating to the fines content of the liquefied source stratum. However, no ubiquitous trends in the spatial sorting of grain sizes in the coarser fraction of the ejecta underlying silt drapes were observed. This study provides a modern analog to recurrent paleoliquefaction evidence and has important implications for interpretation of seismic hazards. 

The moment magnitude (Mw) 7.8 Kaikōura, New Zealand, earthquake triggered relatively few cases of liquefaction and related phenomena (e.g., lateral spreading) despite the large magnitude of the event. Cases of severe liquefaction manifestation were confined to localized areas proximal to waterways near the township of Blenheim, in the north-eastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The occurrence and non-occurrence of liquefaction within the wider Blenheim area is shown to closely correspond with fluvial geomorphology and associated depositional setting of the sediments. Herein, the distribution of liquefaction within the region is detailed in the context of the geomorphological influences and sedimentologic controls. This work highlights the influence of geomorphic variability on the occurrence of liquefaction, with the aim of improving the assessment of liquefaction hazards for future events worldwide.