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 drawn against the published reference boundary curves that share its axis, Idriss & Boulanger (2008) and Moss et al. (2006). It draws on 8,634 in-situ test records from the Next Generation Liquefaction (NGL) database.

Launch the Tool Book a Demo
Affiliation Liquefaction screening against NGL case histories. GeoLiquefy LLC is independent and not affiliated with the NGL project.
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, when fines content is supplied, the factor of safety, all from Boulanger & Idriss (2014), drawn against the published reference curves that share the CPT axis, plus field remarks from the original reconnaissance data. The engine computes every number and the memo quotes them; the AI drafts and explains, and never does the arithmetic.

The Model

One implemented procedure, plotted against published reference curves

The engine computes a single, deterministic triggering procedure, Boulanger & Idriss (2014), against every site. Two other published boundary curves share its CPT axis and are drawn alongside it for visual comparison, not computed into the result. A third, Cetin et al. (2004), is SPT-based and is returned on its own axis.

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

An SPT-based boundary curve evaluated from the paper's own closed form (eq. 20) at PL=15%, Mw=7.5, σ′v=1 atm, FC=0%. Its abscissa is clean-sand-equivalent SPT N1,60, so it is returned on its own SPT axis rather than drawn on the CPT plot.

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. Drawing Moss and Idriss & Boulanger alongside the computed Boulanger & Idriss (2014) result, with Cetin on its own SPT axis, 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: Screening Request
POST /api/similar
Authorization: Bearer <clerk-session-token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "params": {
    "qc": 4.2,            // Cone tip resistance (MPa)
    "fs": 0.05,           // Sleeve friction (MPa)
    "fines_content": 18,  // Fines content (%), needed for a factor of safety
    "depth": 6.5,         // Sample depth (m)
    "gwt_depth": 1.5,     // Groundwater table depth (m)
    "pga": 0.32,          // Peak ground acceleration (g)
    "mw": 6.2             // Moment magnitude
  },
  "top_n": 10
}

Authenticated with a Clerk session token, the same sign-in the web app uses. Issued API keys are not available yet. GET /api/cases/by-location is open and needs no token.

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, drawn against the published reference boundary curves that share its CPT axis, Moss et al. (2006) and Idriss & Boulanger (2008), with Cetin et al. (2004) returned on its own SPT axis. 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 /api/similar 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 computes nothing. Boulanger & Idriss (2014) computes CSR and CRR, and the engine divides them for the factor of safety at the engineer's input point; the AI is handed those finished numbers to quote and drafts the engineering-readable memo and explanation around them.