Shaking Water Out of Sands: An Experimental Study

Abstract

AbstractStrong earthquakes can cause different kinds of hydrological responses, and several mechanisms have been suggested to explain them. Verification of these mechanisms, however, is often lacking. Here we test some hypotheses with a laboratory experiment, in particular the hypothesis that dynamic strain mobilizes trapped water in the unsaturated zone. We construct a sand chamber, partially saturated with water, and subject it to “seismic” shaking of controlled energy. Pore pressure in the saturated and unsaturated zones is monitored before and after shaking. We identify three distinct mechanisms: consolidation of sediments in the saturated zone, release of capillary water from the capillary fringe, and mobilization of isolated pore water in the unsaturated zone. Each mechanism may cause pore pressure in the saturated zone to suddenly increase with shaking, and each may offer new insights to understand the source of the extra water and other shallow hydrological responses that appear after earthquakes.