Liquefaction remains a major threat to shallow foundations built on saturated deposits of sand, existing semi-empirical rules being inadequate for the modern requirements of performance-based design. In order to clarify the effects of liquefaction on shallow foundations and to enhance the use of mitigation methods to minimize its consequences, a broad research programme based on centrifuge modelling is being carried out at Cambridge University. This paper summarizes and critically assesses the data produced by 8 centrifuge tests, intended to describe the behaviour of bridges built on shallow foundations and to identify the different phenomena occurring in the soil during and after the earthquake loading. The deformation mechanisms of shallow foundations and the unforeseen relevance of some phenomena are discussed. The experimental results highlight some of the limitations of the information collected from case histories and have practical implications for the use of densification as a liquefaction resistance measure.