Soil liquefaction is a phenomenon where saturated soil loses its strength and stiffness in response to applied stress, such as shaking during an earthquake or vibrations from heavy machinery. When this occurs, affected soil behaves like a liquid, leading to a significant reduction in its load-bearing capacity. Liquefaction typically occurs in loose, water-saturated granular soils, like sand or silt, when pore water pressure increases rapidly and causes the soil particles to lose their contact with each other.
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Loss of strength in suitable water-saturated granular material when rising pore fluid pressure reduces the effective contact load, often during cyclic earthquake shaking. It is distinct from the condensation of a gas.