4 ms·

As seen in "The Martian" by Andy Weir. (Spoilers!) > “At the microscopic level, the protein cubes were solid food particles suspended in thick vegetable oil.

As seen in "The Martian" by Andy Weir. (Spoilers!) > “At the microscopic level, the protein cubes were solid food particles suspended in thick vegetable oil. The food particles compressed to less than half their original size, but the oil was barely affected at all. This changed the volume ratio of solid to liquid dramatically, which in turn made the aggregate act as a liquid. Known as “liquefaction,” this process transformed the protein cubes from a steady solid into a flowing sludge.”

azernik 5y ago
Also as seen in construction - coping with or preventing ground liquefaction under the vibration of an earthquake is a major consideration in foundation design. San Francisco's SoMa district is particularly prone to the phenomenon given its high water table and sandy soil, and so all construction there needs to include analysis of liquefaction risks in its regulatory filings. Liquefaction under the normal pressure of a building's weight can also be a problem, and may have contributed to the notorious sinking of the (also in SoMa) Millennium Tower.
- okareaman 5y ago
  I didn't know about this. Interesting! https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks/article/SF-s-sinking-Millenium-Tower-to-finally-get-fixed-15439863.php https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks/article/SF-s-sinkin...
- j4ah4n 5y ago
  Came here to make this same comment. My father in-law has been in construction for 60 years, this is one of his favourite words. Neat to see it here on HN.
  - Arrath 5y ago
    I've been involved in several projects using Explosive Densification to combat soil liquefaction, its pretty dang fun. That is, using a sequence of explosive charges to improve soil compaction by breaking bonds and driving out latent water content. It triggers a cycle of liquefaction and then compaction afterwards. http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0120-62302016000300056 http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S...
- tkgally 5y ago
  Many low-lying sections of Tokyo, Osaka, and other Japanese cities were built on landfill and are at risk of liquefaction in earthquakes. Government agencies issue detailed maps [1, 2] showing the degree of danger in each location. Awareness of the dangers of liquefaction in Japan was kickstarted by buildings that tipped over in an earthquake in Niigata in 1964 [3]. A video showing many vivid examples of liquefaction after the big 2011 earthquake is at [4]. My family and I lived for more than a decade in a high-rise apartment building on a landfill island near the Tokyo waterfront, and the risk of soil liquefaction in a major earthquake was never far from my mind. We now live in Yokohama on a hill that is marked on the maps as relatively safe [5], but most of the nearby stores and train stations are in high-risk areas. [1] https://doboku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/start/03-jyouhou/ekijyouka/yosokuzu.aspx https://doboku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/start/03-jyouhou/ekijyouka/... [2] https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp/attach/31241/00267400/PL-Osaka.pdf https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp/attach/31241/00267400/PL-Osaka.... [3] https://www.geoengineer.org/education/web-class-projects/ce-179-geosystems-engineering-design/assignments/liquefaction-1964-niigata-earthquake https://www.geoengineer.org/education/web-class-projects/ce-... [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GviJkVEMfwQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GviJkVEMfwQ [5] https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kurashi/bousai-kyukyu-bohan/bousai-saigai/map/ekijioka/wankita.files/0003_20180913.pdf https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kurashi/bousai-kyukyu-bohan/...
  - azernik 5y ago
    Yup, that's the same reason SoMa is at such risk
- robocat 5y ago
  Liquifaction was a huge problem for the Christchurch earthquake a decade ago. Many of the suburbs had 100% of houses destroyed and the areas were not rebuilt (Google: red zone Christchurch). https://www.google.com/search?q=christchurch+liquefaction+2011&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=christchurch+liquefaction+20... https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Preliminary-liquefaction-map-of-Christchurch-from-drive-through-reconnaissance-10_fig2_266602667 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Preliminary-liquefaction...
- EdwardDiego 5y ago
  We had a lot of liquefaction in Christchurch during the 2011 quake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XwPmoIRwLo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XwPmoIRwLo

azernik 5y ago

Also as seen in construction - coping with or preventing ground liquefaction under the vibration of an earthquake is a major consideration in foundation design. San Francisco's SoMa district is particularly prone to the phenomenon given its high water table and sandy soil, and so all construction there needs to include analysis of liquefaction risks in its regulatory filings. Liquefaction under the normal pressure of a building's weight can also be a problem, and may have contributed to the notorious sinking of the (also in SoMa) Millennium Tower.

okareaman 5y ago
I didn't know about this. Interesting! https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks/article/SF-s-sinking-Millenium-Tower-to-finally-get-fixed-15439863.php https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks/article/SF-s-sinkin...
j4ah4n 5y ago
Came here to make this same comment. My father in-law has been in construction for 60 years, this is one of his favourite words. Neat to see it here on HN.
- Arrath 5y ago
  I've been involved in several projects using Explosive Densification to combat soil liquefaction, its pretty dang fun. That is, using a sequence of explosive charges to improve soil compaction by breaking bonds and driving out latent water content. It triggers a cycle of liquefaction and then compaction afterwards. http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0120-62302016000300056 http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S...
tkgally 5y ago
Many low-lying sections of Tokyo, Osaka, and other Japanese cities were built on landfill and are at risk of liquefaction in earthquakes. Government agencies issue detailed maps [1, 2] showing the degree of danger in each location. Awareness of the dangers of liquefaction in Japan was kickstarted by buildings that tipped over in an earthquake in Niigata in 1964 [3]. A video showing many vivid examples of liquefaction after the big 2011 earthquake is at [4]. My family and I lived for more than a decade in a high-rise apartment building on a landfill island near the Tokyo waterfront, and the risk of soil liquefaction in a major earthquake was never far from my mind. We now live in Yokohama on a hill that is marked on the maps as relatively safe [5], but most of the nearby stores and train stations are in high-risk areas. [1] https://doboku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/start/03-jyouhou/ekijyouka/yosokuzu.aspx https://doboku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/start/03-jyouhou/ekijyouka/... [2] https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp/attach/31241/00267400/PL-Osaka.pdf https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp/attach/31241/00267400/PL-Osaka.... [3] https://www.geoengineer.org/education/web-class-projects/ce-179-geosystems-engineering-design/assignments/liquefaction-1964-niigata-earthquake https://www.geoengineer.org/education/web-class-projects/ce-... [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GviJkVEMfwQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GviJkVEMfwQ [5] https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kurashi/bousai-kyukyu-bohan/bousai-saigai/map/ekijioka/wankita.files/0003_20180913.pdf https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kurashi/bousai-kyukyu-bohan/...
- azernik 5y ago
  Yup, that's the same reason SoMa is at such risk
robocat 5y ago
Liquifaction was a huge problem for the Christchurch earthquake a decade ago. Many of the suburbs had 100% of houses destroyed and the areas were not rebuilt (Google: red zone Christchurch). https://www.google.com/search?q=christchurch+liquefaction+2011&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=christchurch+liquefaction+20... https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Preliminary-liquefaction-map-of-Christchurch-from-drive-through-reconnaissance-10_fig2_266602667 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Preliminary-liquefaction...
EdwardDiego 5y ago
We had a lot of liquefaction in Christchurch during the 2011 quake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XwPmoIRwLo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XwPmoIRwLo