Japanese earthquake made land very serious

The level of damage of the earthquake on March 11 in Japan is not the only thing that makes geologists surprised. This fourth powerful earthquake also caused extensive and widespread displacement in the ground through liquefaction.

The Japanese earthquake / tsunami caused widespread devastation.

According to a recent study, near the coast, ports, rivers and earthquakes, it can shift sandy, wet soil, temporarily turn it from solid to liquid - the process is called liquefaction. Heavy sand and rock are subsided, while lighter water and sand rise on the surface. The peat area is expanded, usually towards the water and the surface is shifted.

The liquefaction process takes place on a large scale of hundreds of kilometers, making even experienced engineers startled.

The study raises concerns about current home construction standards in areas at risk.'Previously we have looked at severely liquefied soil samples, but the scale and extent of damage in Japan is unusually serious , ' said Scott Ashford, a member of the research team at Oregon State University . America, said.

' All the structures are tilted and sinking into the sediment, while they are almost undamaged' , Ashford said. ' The movement in the soil has caused water, gas, and waste pipes to be destroyed, distorting facilities and infrastructure. We saw some areas subsided to 1.2m '.

According to the researchers, the magnitude of the earthquake, about 5 minutes, may be the main factor causing the severe liquefaction.

' We found structures, though still fine after an earthquake lasting 30 seconds, continued to sink and tilt. Meanwhile, this earthquake lasted for several minutes, ' Ashford said. ' And it is clear that younger deposits, especially those built on newly leveled ground, are more at risk of subsidence.'