THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY SHEAR-WAVE VELOCITY DATABASE: SYNTHESIZING 500+ MEASUREMENTS FROM THE PAST TWO DECADES

VANCE, D.M., and WOOLERY, E.W., Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506; WANG, Z., Kentucky Geological Survey, Lexington, KY 40506, woolery@uky.edu.

During the past two decades University of Kentucky researchers have been acquiring seismic refraction/reflection and downhole data for characterizing the shear-wave velocity models of the soil/sediment overburden in the central United States. The dataset includes densely spaced measurements for urban microzonation studies and coarsely spaced measurements for regional assessments; however, the 500+ measurements and their derivative products often do not exist in an organized electronic form, limiting its accessibility for use by other researchers. In order to make these data more accessible, the objective of this project is to construct a database using the ArcGIS 8.3 software. The data will exist in a format that can later be integrated into a regional or national database that serves a wide array of users. The shear-wave velocity models collected at locations throughout the upper Mississippi embayment and adjacent regions are archived with corresponding x,y, and z-coordinate information, impedance boundary elevations, available geotechnical index properties, as well as the measured velocities. The database design includes flexibility to also allow comprehensive Kentucky Seismic and Strong Motion Network data input (e.g., recorded ground motion values/time histories, weak motion waveform data, etc.) from nearby stations. Using the completed database, derivative regional site amplification and dynamic site period maps will be created using ArcGIS 8.3. Finally, the database will be migrated to the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) server and made available on the web.