The United States Geological Service (USGS) warned of the high risk of soil liquefaction in Myanmar after one reaching the center of the Asian country on Friday, 28. Thailand and China also felt the tremors.
number that continues to rise amid rescue efforts. The military government said on Saturday, 29, that another 2,376 were injured and 30 are missing.
According to USGS, liquefaction triggered by the earthquake can be extensive in gravity and amplitude, exceeding 1,000 square meters and reaching more than 1 million people. The risk of landslides was also considered extensive.
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What is soil liquefaction?
USGS explains that liquefaction “is the loss of resistance of loose and saturated soils caused by earthquake tremors, causing the soil to behave more like a liquid than as a solid.”
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In practice, this soil instability can cause buildings to lean and that the soil surface is permanently deformed. Liquefaction can also cause sand and water to be expelled in “sand volcanoes,” says the organ.
Liquefaction that occurs under buildings and other structures can cause major damage during earthquakes.
The American agency cites the example of the Niigata earthquake in 1964 that caused widespread liquefaction in Niigata, Japan, destroying many buildings. Another case is that of the Loma Prieta earthquake, in California, in 1989, when the liquefaction of soils and debris used to fill a pond caused a “large downgrade, fractures and horizontal landslides on the Marina district in San Francisco.”
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Liquefaction causes lateral propagation, as the soaked soil loses its resistance due to the earthquake. Thus, parts of the ground move slowly to the sides, especially in areas with light slopes.
USGS points out that although liquefaction can cause major damage to buildings and infrastructure, it has not resulted in as many deaths as the landlies, which can also be extensive in Myanmar after the earthquake. The number of people who can be affected by landslides in the Asian country was considered “significant” by the agency, exceeding 5,000 people.
