One of the most under-appreciated effects of earthquakes is soil liquification. In certain areas (including many in California), this phenomenon is actually the single largest risk factor to man-made structures. This video shows one of the visible symptoms: surface water appearing out of nowhere. What it doesn't show is damage-causing mode – the loss of stiffness in the soil, turning it essentially into a liquid, removing all support for structures built upon it.
The most interesting stuff starts about halfway through the video, so be patient:
MythBusters did a thing on this type of phenomenon. They used sand with air jets underneath that caused that sort of "liquification" of the sand. Made a car sink into the sand. Was very cool.
MythBusters did a thing on this type of phenomenon. They used sand with air jets underneath that caused that sort of "liquification" of the sand. Made a car sink into the sand. Was very cool.
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