The reliability and utility of dynamic response analysis in geotechnical engineering is explored by a series of case histories. A detailed study of the seismic response of Mexico City sites during the 1985 earthquake shows clearly the limitations of present methods for estimating the appropriate input motions for analysis and the necessity of using a suite of representative input motions. Analyses of seismic soil-structure interaction are conducted on centrifuged models subjected to simulated earthquake loading. Finally the seismic response of a tailings dam is investigated using nonlinear dynamic effective stress analysis
