Liquefaction of saturated loose sands during earthquakes occurs due to:
Choose the correct answer
Increase in effective stress
Excess pore pressure buildup reducing effective stress to zero
Decrease in total stress
Increase in shear strength
Correct Answer
B. Excess pore pressure buildup reducing effective stress to zero
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During cyclic loading (earthquake), pore pressure in loose saturated sand builds up rapidly. When pore pressure equals the total stress, effective stress → 0, and the sand loses all shear strength, behaving like a liquid (liquefaction).
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