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The 6 February 2023 Türkiye earthquakes and the accompanying aftershocks were a once-in-a-century catastrophe that has greatly impacted Türkiye and Syria. The repercussions of these events will have a lasting effect on the entire region. This article documents the geotechnical and geological observations performed by GEER (Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance) immediately following the events. Observations of ground damage, including surface fault rupture, liquefaction and lateral spreading, landslides and rock falls, and foundation failure of buildings, dams, and other civil infrastructure, are described herein. This article summarizes the key findings that were originally reported in the joint GEER-EERI (Earthquake Engineering Research Institute) reconnaissance report. The goal of these reconnaissance efforts is to document perishable data and disseminate it widely so that lessons can be learned from these events. 

The 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence produced extensive liquefaction-induced ground deformations and ongoing flooding along the shoreline of the Mediterranean port city of İskenderun, Türkiye. This study compiles field observations and analyses from cross-disciplinary perspectives to investigate whether earthquake-induced liquefaction was a significant factor for increasing the flood hazard in İskenderun. Geotechnical reconnaissance observations following the earthquakes included seaward lateral spreading, settlement beneath buildings, and failures of coastal infrastructure. Three presented lateral spreading case histories indicate consistent ground deformation patterns with areas of reclaimed land. Persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI) measurements from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery identify a noticeably greater rate of pre- and post-earthquake subsidence within the İskenderun coastal and urban areas relative to the surrounding regions. The PSI measurements also indicate subsidence rates accelerated following the earthquakes and were typically highest near the observed liquefaction manifestations. These evaluations suggest that while the liquefaction of coastal reclaimed fill caused significant ground deformations in the shoreline area, ongoing subsidence of İskenderun and other factors likely also exacerbated the flood hazard. Insights from this work suggest the importance of evaluating multi-hazard liquefaction and flood consequences for enhancing the resilience of coastal cities.