Liquefaction Lab reveals potential land damage

A new interactive online tool will help people better understand how the ground in Christchurch may respond in an earthquake.

The online tool – the Liquefaction Lab – uses the extensive information about ground conditions gathered since the 2010-11 Canterbury earthquakes to visualise an area’s vulnerability to liquefaction under different conditions.

The Liquefaction Lab shows different patterns of land damage that are likely to occur across the city by taking into account the magnitude and location of the earthquake and groundwater levels.

The mapping includes new vulnerability categories that will eventually replace the TC1, 2 and 3 categories introduced in Christchurch after the earthquakes, as the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment introduces the new categories nationwide by next year.