Liquefaction Experiment

This was a cool experiment we carried out at lunch time.  Interested in the liquefaction we had seen occurring after the Christchurch earthquake we tried to simulate it using a model. Some of us had some good explanations of how it worked – the soil compresses and compresses until it is completely saturated with water and as you can’t compress water the soil turns to mush.

It was quite exciting watching the solid soil (compacted sand) suddenly turn to mush and the buildings and vehicles start to sink.