A tsunami and soil liquefaction followed the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that shook Palu and other parts of north-western Sulawesi in Indonesia.
Soil liquefaction, a geological process by which the soil structure collapses, is relatively unknown among the Indonesian public, including survivors and witnesses of the disaster.
The Jakarta Post correspondent Ruslan Sangadji reported that on the morning after the quake, survivors referred to the phenomenon as “land tsunami”.
Witnesses said the “mud” rolled like ocean waves.
Houses in Petobo shifted as much as 700 meters from their original locations.
Yahdi Basma, a Central Sulawesi councilor, whose two-story house moved 700 meters and was partially submerged in the liquefied soil, said the “mud” also dragged coconut trees a few hundred meters. However, he said, the trees were still alive. (source)
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