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The paper describes a multi-phase, multi-scale rational method for modeling and predicting the free-field wave propagation and liquefaction of soils. The one-dimensional time-domain model of a soil column uses the discrete element method (DEM) to track stress and strain within a series of representative volume elements (RVEs), driven by seismic rock displacements at the column base. The RVE interactions are unified with a time-stepping finite-difference algorithm. The Darcy's principle is applied to resolve the momentum transfer between a soil's solid matrix and its interstitial pore fluid. The method can analyze numerous conditions and phenomena, including site-specific amplification, down-slope movement of sloping ground, dissolution or cavitation of air in the pore fluid, and drainage that is concurrent with shaking. Several refinements of the DEM are necessary for realistically simulating soil behavior and for …