The Instrument: Liquefaction Hazard Engine

Liquefaction Hazard Engine

Screen site-specific liquefaction hazard with Boulanger & Idriss (2014) CPT-based triggering, computed against the site and plotted against published reference boundary curves (Cetin et al., Moss et al., and Idriss & Boulanger (2008)). It draws on 8,634 in-situ test records from the Next Generation Liquefaction (NGL) database.

Launch the Tool Book a Demo
Affiliation GeoLiquefy LLC is an independent, for-profit company. The Liquefaction Hazard Engine cites the Next Generation Liquefaction (NGL) database as a data source but is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the NGL project, its principal investigators, host institutions, or funding agencies. All NGL data is used in accordance with the NGL project's published terms of use.
8,634
In-situ test records
from the NGL database
354
Sites across
31 earthquakes
CSR / CRR
Engineering reasoning
attached to every assessment

How it works

Step 01

Enter your site parameters

Input CPT or SPT measurements, shear wave velocity, fines content, depth, groundwater table, and seismic loading (PGA, Mw). The tool accepts the full parameter set used in practice.

Step 02

Find the closest matches

The engine searches 8,634 in-situ test records from the NGL database and returns the most geotechnically similar sites, ranked by similarity score. Retrieve the top 1, 3, 5, or 10 matches.

Step 03

Get an AI-drafted assessment

Each result set includes an AI-drafted engineering assessment memo: CSR, CRR, and factor of safety from Boulanger & Idriss (2014), plotted against published reference boundary curves, plus field remarks from the original reconnaissance data. The model computes; the AI drafts and explains.

The Model

One implemented procedure, plotted against published reference curves

The engine computes a single, deterministic triggering procedure, Boulanger & Idriss (2014), against every site. Three other published boundary curves are plotted alongside it for visual comparison, not computed.

Boulanger & Idriss (2014), Implemented

Semi-empirical CPT- and SPT-based liquefaction triggering procedure, computed deterministically against the site. The only triggering computation in the engine.

Boulanger, R.W. & Idriss, I.M. (2014), “CPT and SPT Based Liquefaction Triggering Procedures,” Report UCD/CGM-14/01, UC Davis.

Cetin et al. (2004), Reference curve

A 9-point digitized SPT-based boundary curve, pinned at PL=15%, Mw=7.5, σ′v=1 atm, FC=0%, plotted for comparison only.

Cited as Cetin et al. (2004).

Moss et al. (2006), Reference curve

A CPT-based triggering boundary curve from the published correlation, plotted for comparison only.

Moss, R.E.S., Seed, R.B., Kayen, R.E., Stewart, J.P., Der Kiureghian, A. & Cetin, K.O. (2006), J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 132(8).

Idriss & Boulanger (2008), Reference curve

An earlier CPT- and SPT-based boundary curve from the same authors, plotted for comparison only.

Idriss, I.M. & Boulanger, R.W. (2008), Soil Liquefaction During Earthquakes, EERI Monograph MNO-12.

The published curves do not always agree. Plotting Cetin, Moss, and Idriss & Boulanger alongside the computed Boulanger & Idriss (2014) result shows where the published boundary curves diverge: information for the engineer's judgment, not another computed output. Read the full methodology →

Full parameter coverage

The tool accepts the complete set of parameters used in geotechnical liquefaction assessment.

CPT Parameters

qc, fs, Fr, Ic, u2

SPT & Index Properties

N60, Fines Content, D50, PI, Unit Weight

Shear Wave Velocity

Vs, Vs30

Site & Seismic

Depth, GWT Depth, PGA, Mw

Who uses it

Who uses the Hazard Engine

Geotechnical Consultants

From site investigation to signed report

  • Match your site against the closest in-situ test records in the NGL database in seconds.
  • Defend findings in peer review with reasoning grounded in Boulanger & Idriss (2014) triggering, plotted against published reference boundary curves, not one house standard.
  • Use the web tool for exploratory work, the API for repeated workflows.
Launch the tool →
Reinsurers, Cat Modelers, Risk Analytics

A modeled liquefaction layer for your portfolio

  • Submit a portfolio of locations. Receive site-specific liquefaction triggering outputs via API.
  • Liquefaction is a recognized damage multiplier in earthquake loss, a factor portfolio risk teams increasingly want screened at the site level.
Inquire about a pilot →

Send site parameters, get ranked matches and an AI-drafted assessment back as JSON.

REST API: Illustrative Request
POST /v1/query
Authorization: Bearer <api-key>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "qc": 4.2,   // Cone tip resistance (MPa)
  "Ic": 1.8,   // Soil behaviour type index
  "FC": 18,    // Fines content (%)
  "depth": 6.5, // Sample depth (m)
  "PGA": 0.32, // Peak ground acceleration (g)
  "Mw": 6.2    // Moment magnitude
}

Pricing

Pro
$30 / month

Billed monthly. Cancel anytime.

$18 / month

$216 billed annually.

  • Search across all 8,634 in-situ test records
  • Top 10 similar cases per query
  • AI engineering analysis
  • Full detail panels per match
Get Started
Enterprise
Custom

Tailored to your organization.

  • Everything in Pro
  • High-volume usage
  • Priority support
  • Multi-seat access
Contact Us

Grounded in peer-reviewed science

The Liquefaction Hazard Engine computes Boulanger & Idriss (2014) CPT-based triggering, plotted against published reference boundary curves: Cetin et al. (2004); Moss et al. (2006); Idriss & Boulanger (2008). It draws on 8,634 in-situ test records from the NGL database, 354 sites across 31 earthquakes (Brandenberg et al., 2020). Robb Moss, author of Moss et al. (2006), a CPT-based triggering model plotted as a reference curve in the engine, serves on GeoLiquefy's advisory board.

Read the Paper See the Methodology →

Frequently asked questions

What does the Liquefaction Hazard Engine cost?

Pro is $30/month billed monthly, or $18/month ($216/year) billed annually. Enterprise pricing is custom, for high-volume usage, priority support, and multi-seat access.

Is there an API?

Yes. Submit a JSON payload of site parameters (CPT, SPT, shear wave velocity, site and seismic inputs) to the REST API and receive ranked matches from the NGL database with an AI-drafted assessment in a single response, for GIS and portfolio risk workflows.

Who is the Liquefaction Hazard Engine built for?

Geotechnical consultants, who use it from site investigation to signed report, and reinsurers, cat modelers, and risk analytics teams, who screen liquefaction as a portfolio- level damage multiplier via the API.

What does the AI-drafted assessment actually compute?

The AI does not compute the triggering result. Boulanger & Idriss (2014) computes CSR, CRR, and factor of safety against the matched in-situ test records; the AI drafts the engineering-readable memo and explanation around that computed result.