Donor: ISSMGE TC 102 Site Characterization
The Seismic CPTu has become the state of practice in most seismic regions as it provides Vs measurements as well as the tip resistance, sleeve friction, and pore water measurement. It is also used for non-seismic projects as Vs provides the small strain stiffness of the soil units and can be used to estimate stiffness at larger strains using strain-dependent normalized shear modulus reduction curves.
A SCPTu would best represent the primary site investigation tool of Geotechnical Engineering in 2025.