Which risk increased during ziggurat construction, when masons layered sun-baked bricks without proper mortar bonding?

💡 Explanation

When sun-baked bricks were layered without proper mortar, differential settling occurs because the uneven loading leads to varying compaction rates within the unbonded layers, causing cracks. Therefore differential settling results, rather than brittle fracture, creep deformation, or shear failure, which require cohesive material properties.

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