Liquefaction Experiment | Earthquake Engineering | Seismology | Geotechnical Engineering

Liquefaction is a phenomenon in which the strength and stiffness of soil is reduced by earthquake shaking or other rapid loadings.

Liquefaction happens when waterlogged, loose soil-- we call it sand-- turns into quicksand temporarily. If you look closely at sand, you'll realize that it's actually comprised of tons of tiny rocks, and their roundness and roughly uniform size mean there's space between them that can get filled by water. When we step on saturated sand at the water's edge, it's fairly stable because the particles get pushed together and rest on each other, while any excess water escapes by flowing away to where the pressure is lower.

Liquefaction and related phenomena have been responsible for tremendous amounts of damage in historical earthquakes around the world. On a larger scale, earthquake-induced liquefaction can swallow cars, roads, and even enormous apartment complexes. In other words, earthquakes can create quicksand except that when the shaking stops and the soil particles are no longer suspended in water, the ground solidifies again, and anything that sank becomes stuck, which is what happened to this car.

[aliwaqas]

Sir that means wall/strip footing is bad in case of liquefaction ?