This activity demonstrates the principles of liquefaction and what happens when soil begins to act more like a liquid than a solid.

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Organization
Soil Science Society of America
Discipline
Earth and Space Sciences
Grade Level
6-8
9-12
Lesson Area
Soil Physics
Lesson Type
Activity
Lab Experiment
Lesson Keywords
Quicksand
Liquefaction
Sand

Next Generation Science Standards

Grade Discipline Core Idea
6-8 ESS2.A: Earth materials and systems

Energy flows and matter cycles within and among Earth's systems, including the sun and Earth's interior as primary energy sources. Plate tectonics is one result of these processes.
6-8 ESS2.C: The roles of water in Earth's surface processes

Water cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere, and is propelled by sunlight and gravity. Density variations of sea water drive interconnected ocean currents.  Water movement causes weathering and erosion, changing landscape features.
6-8 ESS3.B: Natural hazards

Mapping the history of natural hazards in a region and understanding related geological forces.
6-8 PS2.A: Forces and motion

The role of the mass of an object must be qualitatively accounted for in any change of motion due to the application of a force.
6-8 PS2.B: Types of Interactions

Forces that act at a distance involve fields that can be mapped by their relative strength and effect on an object.
9-12 ESS2.A: Earth materials and systems

Feedback effects exist within and among Earth's systems.
9-12 ESS2.C: The roles of water in Earth's surface processes

The planet's dynamics are greatly influenced by water's unique chemical and physical properties.
9-12 ESS3.B: Natural hazards

Natural hazards and other geological events have shaped the course of human history at local, regional, and global scales.
9-12 PS2.A: Forces and motion

Newton's 2nd law (F=ma) and the conservation of momentum can be used to predict changes in the motion of macroscopic objects.
9-12 PS2.B: Types of Interactions

Forces at a distance are explained by fields that can transfer energy and can be described in terms of the arrangement and properties of the interacting objects and | the distance between them. These forces can be used to describe the relationship between electrical and magnetic fields.