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Preface

The papers contained in this publication were prepared for presentation in GEESD IV, the 4^th decennial Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics Conference organized by the EESD Committee of the ASCE Geo-Institute. GEESD IV follows the highly successful GEESD conferences in Seattle, Washington (1998); Park City, Utah (1988); and Pasadena, California (1978). The conference covers a broad field of topics in soil dynamics and geotechnical earthquake engineering, including engineering seismology, dynamic material properties, geophysical methods, SASW benchmarking, site response, liquefaction, ground improvement, embankment dams, tailings dams, landfills, levees, lifelines and networks, mapping and zoning, NEESR research, numerical modeling, piers and wharves, retaining structures, foundation dynamics, soil-structure interaction, stability of natural slopes, and surface fault rupture.

The organizing committee invited nine outstanding keynote speakers and ten theme lecturers to present papers on developments in important areas of geotechnical earthquake engineering. The committee reviewed over 400 abstracts and 260 papers. The papers received undergo a peer review before being accepted. The standards for the peer review followed those required for ASCE Geotechnical Special Publications. Each paper must receive two positive reviews to be accepted and must be revised to conform to the mandatory revisions of the reviewers. Due to a tight schedule, there was not enough time for more than one cycle of review and revision. In the end, 234 papers were accepted for publication. All the papers are eligible for discussion in the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering and for ASCE awards.

The paper review would have been impossible without the help of a group of lead reviewers, who, on behalf of the Proceedings and Publications Committee, organized and in some cases conducted the review of a group of papers.