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Soil liquefaction occurs when a cohesionless saturated or partially saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress such as shaking during an earthquake or other sudden change in stress condition, in which material that is ordinarily a solid behaves like a liquid.
As an example of the latter, a "major commercial application of liquefaction is the liquefaction of air to allow separation of the constituents, such as oxygen, nitrogen, and the noble gases." [4] Another is the conversion of solid coal into a liquid form usable as a substitute for liquid fuels. [5]
Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals or improper disposal of waste .
The failure of the Teton Dam in 1976 has been attributed to the use of unsuitable loess in the dam core, and liquefication of silty soil is a significant earthquake hazard. Windblown and waterborne silt are significant forms of environmental pollution, often exacerbated by poor farming practices.
And much of the soil resides in a planter in the backyard, next to her son’s favorite hammock chair. “Every time that rose bush blooms, you watch it with such anticipation,” Muckenhoupt said ...
Both surface deformation and faulting and shaking-related geological effects (e.g., soil liquefaction, landslides) not only leave permanent imprints in the environment, but also dramatically affect human structures. Moreover, underwater fault ruptures and seismically triggered landslides can generate tsunami waves.
The basic idea is to map zones that are susceptible to the process and then go in for a closer look. The presence or absence of soil liquefaction features, such as clastic dikes, is strong evidence of past earthquake activity, or lack thereof. These are to be contrasted with mud volcanoes, which occur in areas of geyser or subsurface gas venting.
The low permeable soil traps the water in the shallower soil generating high water pressures. As the top soil is filled with water, it can become unstable and slide downslope. Deep-seated landslide on a mountain in Sehara, KihÅ , Japan caused by torrential rain of Tropical Storm Talas Landslide of soil and regolith in Pakistan