The Liquefy reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Liquefy

In physics to liquefy or liquify means to turn something into the liquid state.

This can be a change from a gas to a liquid (condensation), usually by cooling, or a change from a solid to a liquid (melting), usually by heating or by grinding and blending with another liquid.

Liquefaction in earthquakes

This can also be a change from a solid to a liquid. For example, earthquakes can cause the loose arrangement of soil in landfills of bodies of water to rearrange themselves in such a way that it essentially becomes a suspension of solids in the liquid made of up the moisture always present in the soil. Heavy structures on such areas can suddenly sink or shift. This can be demonstrated by saturating a bucket of sand with water; place a stone on the currently solid top of the sand, then repeatedly strike the side of the bucket with a hammer and watch the rock sink.

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