Which mechanism caused the collapse of pre-Columbian agricultural terraces during periods of intense rainfall?

💡 Explanation

When intense rainfall occurs on agricultural terraces, hydrostatic pressure builds behind the terrace walls leading to saturation and pressure exceeding the cohesive strength of the wall material because water cannot drain quickly enough. Therefore, hydrostatic pressure exceeding wall strength leads to collapse, rather than depletion/compaction/deforestation, which are longer-term degradation and less directly linked to collapse.

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