Strong aftershocks, soil liquefaction unnerve Pohang residents

포항 밤새 규모 3.0 이상 여진 연속 두번... 국내 첫 액상화 발견
Our top story this afternoon...
Aftershocks continue to rattle Korea's southeastern city of Pohang after a magnitude five-point-four earthquake struck the city last Wednesday.
Just this morning, local citizens felt two aftershocks of over magnitude three.
And there's another fear for Pohang residents -- soil liquefaction.
Oh Jung-hee tells us more.
On Sunday night and Monday morning,... two aftershocks of over magnitude three hit Korea's southeastern city of Pohang back-to-back.
On Sunday just before midnight,... an aftershock of magnitude three-point-five hit northern Pohang...
and on Monday morning,... a tremor of magnitude three-point-six hit the area again.
Monday's aftershock is the second strongest one after the main quake -- the strongest being a magnitude four-point-three tremor on the day of quake.
Korea's meteorological agency says... the tremor was intense enough for almost anyone to feel it... and even to wake people up from their sleep.
These tremors bring the total number of aftershocks from Wednesday's quake to 58.

While aftershocks continue to unnerve local residents... what adds to the fear... is soil becoming liquefied.

Soil liquefaction occurs,... when a strong-enough quake shatters the earth... so that soil loses strength and stiffness,... bringing groundwater up to the surface to mix with the soil above it.
A research team from Pusan National University says... it has witnessed soil being liquefied at 100 spots... within two kilometers of the quake's epicenter... and this makes it as if the buildings are temporarily floating on water.

(Korean)
"The ground doesn't sink by the same extent in all areas. Some areas sink more, others sink less. This could cause the buildings to slide down. Also, in areas where this has happened,... the quake's vibrations get stronger."

This is the first time soil liquefaction has been recorded in Korea.

The country's meteorological administration is to carry out further on-site inspections to collect data.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.

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