The process involves the dropping of a heavy weight repeatedly on the ground at regularly spaced intervals. The impact of the free fall creates stress waves that help in the densification of the soil. The degree of compaction depends on the weight of the hammer, the height from which the hammer is dropped, and the spacing of the locations at which the hammer is dropped. 

Most soil types can be improved with dynamic compaction. Old fills and granular soils are most often treated. The soils that are below the water table have to be treated carefully to permit emission of the excess pore water pressure that is created when the weight is dropped onto the surface. 

Dynamic replacement is a very similar technique to Dynamic compaction. However, if the ground cannot be compacted directly due to high fines content within the soil, an imported fill material needs to be added. Crushed stones are then introduced into the ground by a heavy weight dropped repeatedly onto a gravel layer while the craters created by the impact of the heavy weight are backfilled with gravel during the process.

The benefits of dynamic replacement include: