Soil Liquefaction

A phenomenon in which saturated, loose, unconsolidated soils abruptly lose shear strength and stiffness and behave like a fluid under transient or cyclic dynamic loading, commonly during earthquakes but also under other rapid loadings.

A process in which saturated, cohesionless granular soils substantially lose shear strength and stiffness and temporarily behave like a fluid under cyclic or dynamic loading, due to buildup of excess pore pressures that reduce effective stress.