This paper critically reviews seismic design practices in light of the
observed performance of landfills during recent earthquakes. Developm
ents in these areas are summarized as follows: earthquake ground motio
ns, dynamic waste fill properties, dynamic responses of geomembranes a
nd their interfaces, nonlinear dynamic response analysis, and seismic
stability evaluation. A newly developed simplified seismic analysis pr
ocedure that requires the most critical factors be addressed during a
seismic performance evaluation is presented. The underlying seismic an
alysis procedure has been validated against observed performance of la
ndfills shaken by the 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge, California
earthquakes. The procedure is comprehensive in that it requires: (i)
characterization of the design bedrock motions in terms of intensity,
frequency content, and duration; (ii) estimation of the seismic loadin
g at the base and cover of the landfill; (iii) evaluation of performan
ce in terms of seismically induced permanent deformations; and (iv) ap
propriate engineering judgment.