It’s called liquefaction, the intense soil-displacing shaking brought on by earthquakes that turn solid ground mushy and dangerous. ASU’s Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics, directed by Fulton Schools Professor Edward Kavazanjian, has developed technology to prevent of liquefaction by injecting nutrients deep into soil. Micro-organisms ingest the nutrients, producing gas that in turn prevents the pressure that leads to liquefaction. ASU engineers are teaming with colleagues at other universities to test the method in parts or Portland, Oregon that could be prone to liquefaction. They’re using tools such as the truck called T-Rex (see picture), which can simulate earthquake action by shaking small areas of the ground.

See Also: Where solid ground could turn into ‘soup’ KGW8 News, Portland, October 11