Experimental Data Set of Mining-Induced Seismicity for Studies of Full-Scale Topographic Effects

Abstract

This paper describes two large, high-quality experimental data sets of ground motions collected with locally dense arrays of seismometers deployed on steep mountainous terrain with varying slope angles and topographic features. These data sets were collected in an area of central-eastern Utah that experiences frequent and predictable mining-induced seismicity as a means to study the effects of topography on small-strain seismic ground motions. The data sets are freely available through the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation data repository ( NEEShub.org ) under the DOI numbers 10.4231/D34M9199S and 10.4231/D3Z31NN4J. This paper documents the data collection efforts and metadata necessary for utilizing the data sets, as well as the availability of supporting data (e.g., high-resolution digital elevation models). The paper offers a brief summary of analyses conducted on the data sets thus far, in addition to ideas about how these data sets may be used in future studies related to topographic effects and mining seismicity.

Comparison of Field Data Processing Methods for the Evaluation of Topographic Effects

“…The majority of the event hypocenters were located directly above the long wall mining operation (see Figure 1). For further information on the experimental setup, data processing, and recorded events, please see Wood and Cox (2015) and Wood (2013). The data used in this study is freely available for reuse.…”

“…The data used in this study is freely available for reuse. Those interested in reuse should see Wood and Cox (2012) and Wood and Cox (2015) for more information on the data set.…”

Seismic wave amplification by topographic features: A parametric study

“…They reported amplification as large as 4.5 at specific frequencies. More recently, Wood and Cox (2015) [58] exploited ground shaking generated in a coal mine in central Utah and reported significant amplitude changes due to topography. Similar field experiments can also be found in [23,38,40].…”