secondary consolidation

secondary consolidation

[′sek·ən‚der·ē kən‚säl·ə′dā·shən] (geology) Consolidation of sedimentary material, at essentially constant pressure, resulting from internal processes such as recrystallization.

secondary consolidation

The reduction in volume of a soil mass caused by the application of a sustained load to the mass, due principally to the adjustment of the internal structure of the soil mass after most of the load has been transferred from the soil water to the soil solids.