(SS) – The soil under Dar el Sallam, the finance capital of Tanzania, is mysteriously liquefying under homes and businesses. Mud has been seen coming out of the soil, destroying at least 9 houses (total collapse), cracking tens of others, and prompting mass evacuations.

Residents started taking the situation seriously when a child and a cow almost drowned in one of the mud pools. It was first thought it could be coming from a small stream. But then a similar phenomenon was discovered in many neighboring districts of the town. So what the heck?

According to residents of a neighborhood, a small hill formed at the center of an abandoned football field. And now, this small ‘volcano’ seems to be the epicenter of the ‘mudslides’ in the area. Yes, it is probably no new mud volcano formation and eruption. Dar es Salaam was not built in a volcanic region.

According to the Geologic Survey of Tanzania: “What happened at Kunduchi Mtongani was a normal liquefaction which occurs when seismic forces (either natural or man-made) affect saturated, loose, granular layers, forcing the loose soil structure to contract and in the process, generating excess pore water pressure, accompanied by a reduction in soil strength.” According to officials, such liquefaction events are also common in some parts of Shinyanga, Singida, and Dodoma regions. READ MORE