SEISMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SENSOR TEST AREAS IN THE PANAMA CANAL ZONE Report 1 DRY-SEASON CONDITIONS

摘要

Field data were collected to establish seismic response characteristics, their distribution, and the environmental factors that control them in two Army Tropic Test Center seismic sensor test areas (Gamboa and Alpha) in the Panama Canal Zone. Detailed seismic and environmental data are presented, and special seismic response tests (drop-hammer, man-walking, and ambient-noise) conducted in various environmental conditions at 9 sites in the Gamboa test area and 13 sites in the Alpha test area are described. Also discussed are the results (empirical regression equations) of a multicorrelation analysis used to relate the seismic response descriptors (peak particle velocity, peak summed particle velocity, and frequency) to the environmental parameters; the techniques used for mapping the seismic responses in the test areas; and the techniques for interpreting the seismic responses and terrain factor maps in terms of seismic intrusion detector performance. Results show that the seismic response from a drop-hammer energy source can be correlated with basic environmental parameters, and that sensor performance for one walking man can be approximated for dry-season conditions. The empirical equations, combined with the terrain factor complex maps, are shown to be a means of extrapolating seismic response characteristics to other test areas within the limits of the dry-season data used to generate the equations.