The bodies of a family of four were found on their couch at the
bottom of a crevasse after the area underneath their house
suddenly gave way Monday. The culprit was an ancient one, the
modern-day after-effects of a 10,000-year old inland sea. Michel
A. Bouchard, a professor of geology at the University of
Montreal, said the area around St. Jude rests on an unusual
variety of “sensitive clay” that was originally the bed of an
ancient sea. Lake Champlain is a remnant of the sea. Because the
clay formed in salt water, Professor Bouchard said, the
molecular structure of its particles resembles playing cards
arranged as an unstable house of cards, rather than stacked in a
deck, as occurs with clay formed in fresh water. A variety of
events can break the molecular bonds holding the clay particles
together. When that occurs, the clay can spontaneously liquefy
with little or no provocation. “Even a fly landing on the
surface can set it off,” he said. The family dog, tied outside
to a tree, was the sole survivor. It’s