Dramatic footage has emerged from the city of Palu on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, with buildings collapsing as the ground slides beneath them. The phenomenon, known as soil liquefaction, is thought to have occurred as a result of the recent 7.5 magnitude earthquake, which also triggered a devastating tsunami. The death toll has already passed 1,200 and is expected to rise further.

Not only building and above-ground structures that can be affected by the phenomenon, noting there can also be damages to pipelines such as those for clean water, wastewater and gas. The scenes from Indonesia are not the first time soil liquefaction has caused damage following an earthquake. The phenomenon is thought to have caused severe and widespread devastation in Japan after an earthquake struck in 2011...