A sand blow is sand and water that come out onto the ground surface during an earthquake as a result of liquefaction. Also known as a "Sand boil."
Scroll over this photograph of an excavation to see evidence for prehistoric sand blows. Thise give evidence for earthquakes and liquefaction in the prehistoric record.
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Sand Boil: sand-laden water can be ejected from a buried liquefied layer and erupt at the surface to form sand volcanoes; the surrounding ground often fractures and settles.
Liquefaction is a process by which water-saturated sediment temporarily loses strength and acts as a fluid. This effect can be caused by earthquake shaking.
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