SPT-based deterministic assessment of soil liquefaction susceptibility in North Sumatra, Indonesia
Tika Ermita Wulandari1, Tengku Anita Raja Hussin2, Surta Ria Nurliana Panjaitan3, 4, Suranto5 and Rudianto Surbakti6
Centre for Infrastructure Geo-Hazards and Sustainability Materials,Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, SEGi University, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya,Selangor, 47810,Malaysia2
Department of Civil Engineering,Universitas HKBP Nommensen, Jalan Sutomo No. 4A, Medan,North Sumatra, 20235,Indonesia3
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Technology,Kompleks Pusat Pengajian Jejawi 3, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Arau,Perlis, 02600,Malaysia4
Department of Civil Engineering,Universitas Pembinaan Masyarakat Indonesia, Jalan Teladan No. 15, Medan Kota, Medan,North Sumatra, 20214,Indonesia5
Department of Civil Engineering,Politeknik Negeri Medan, Jalan Almamater No. 1 Padang Bulan, Medan Baru, Medan,North Sumatra, 20155,Indonesia6
Corresponding Author : Tika Ermita Wulandari
Recieved : 08-October-2025; Revised : 19-April-2026; Accepted : 20-April-2026
Abstract
North Sumatra faces significant seismic threats from the Sumatran fault zone and the subduction zone, both of which can compromise infrastructure stability through soil liquefaction. This study aims to evaluate liquefaction susceptibility across eight strategic locations in North Sumatra using a high-resolution deterministic approach. The research methodology is based on a simplified procedure employing the standard penetration test (SPT) to determine the factor of safety (FS) against liquefaction. Seismic parameters were calculated using peak ground acceleration (PGA) and moment magnitude (Mw) data obtained from the Indonesian Research and Development Center for Human Settlements (Puskim). The analysis incorporates the cyclic stress ratio (CSR) to represent seismic demand and the cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) to represent soil capacity, with adjustments for the magnitude scaling factor (MSF) and fines content (FC). The results indicate critical vulnerability at several sites, particularly in Sibolga and Mandailing Natal, where the FS value is less than 1.0 at depths between 2 and 10 meters. In contrast, locations with denser sandy layers and lower groundwater levels exhibit greater stability. These findings provide an important deterministic baseline for seismic hazard mitigation and geotechnical design in disaster-prone regions of Indonesia.
Keywords
Liquefaction susceptibility, Standard penetration test (SPT), Factor of safety (FS), Cyclic stress ratio (CSR), Cyclic resistance ratio (CRR), Seismic hazard analysis.
Cite this article
Wulandari TE, Hussin TAR, Panjaitan SRN, Suranto, Surbakti R. SPT-based deterministic assessment of soil liquefaction susceptibility in North Sumatra, Indonesia. International Journal of Advanced Technology and Engineering Exploration. 2026;13(137):428-446. DOI : 10.19101/IJATEE.2025.121221352
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