This study will utilize the NEES "Liquidator" seismic vibrator in Las Vegas, as it is transported back to its home base in Austin from a project at Yucca Mountain, which is about 100 miles from Las Vegas. It will be used in a surface wave testing study to complement an existing project to characterize seismic response of the Valley. The equipment will be used to fill a vital data gap between shallow depths that are accessible with existing UNLV test equipment, and great depths that have been imaged through seismic refraction/reflection using explosive testing and group-wave velocity measurements from teleseisms. The overall purpose of the data collection is to map shear wave velocities (VS) to support earthquake site response analyses. The work will complement a multidisciplinary research effort by a woman-dominated team of faculty and students. It will also help the team to build expertise with its own, newly acquired "minivib" seismic source.
