Geotechnical structures such as pile-sheet walls, wharves, bridge piers, retaining walls, slopes, excavations and underground projects in loose soil of urban areas are exposed to lateral loads and uplift in some cases that may lead to instability. There are several methods for stabilizing geotechnical structures. One of the most common methods for stabilizing geotechnical structures is the anchorage method. In this study, a new plate anchor named “opening plate anchor”, increasing its bearing section area during uplift is introduced. In the present experimental study, the effects of the embedment ratio (embedment depth of anchor to its width) and the width of the anchor (120, 150, 180 mm) in pullout tests are investigated. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used to study soil deformation around the anchor at maximum pullout load’s instance. According to PIV analysis, two different failure surfaces are observed. The results showed that as the embedment ratio increases, it causes a significant increase in the pullout capacity (P_u), however it does not change the corresponding normalized displacement (d_u/B) noticeably. Increasing the width of anchor, increases anchor’s pullout capacity and corresponding normalized displacement. The PIV results showed that for shallow anchors, the failure surfaces are curved and cross the soil surface, while for deep anchors, the failure surfaces shape a truncated cone in the soil.