Earthquakes can turn solid ground into liquid

When a massive earthquake strikes, the very ground beneath a city can lose its structural integrity and begin to behave like a fluid. This phenomenon, known as liquefaction, occurs when intense shaking increases the water pressure in saturated soil, forcing the individual grains to lose contact with one another. In an instant, what was once stable land becomes a slurry with the consistency of quicksand, incapable of supporting the weight of buildings or infrastructure.