In summer 2018, a total of 43 passive seismic surveys were conducted in the Des Moines River floodplain. The horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method is a passive seismic technique that uses a three-component seismometer to measure the vertical and horizontal components of ambient seismic noise. A resonance frequency (f0) is induced in the unconsolidated deposits when there is a substantial contrast (greater than 2:1) in shear-wave acoustic impedance between the overburden and the bedrock. The f0 is determined from the analysis of the spectral ratio of the horizontal and vertical components of the seismic data. The thickness of the overburden can be related to the f0. In general, lower f0 relates to thicker sediments, and higher f0 relates to relatively thinner overburden. This data release contains a text file (Readme_HVSR.txt) that explains data files and processing references, 6 .zip folders 5 related to survey line(s) on a given date and one for individual measurements not related to survey lines with each zip folder containing measurement site folders and original data files and resultant measurement report (.trc, .saf or .dat, and .doc) , a notes file for archiving surface-geophysical data (HVSR_Archive_Notes_DesMoinesIA.csv), and another comma-separated values file (HVSR_Index_DesMoinesIA.csv) that can be used to help navigate the data files. Field notes taken at the time of data collection are not included in this data release but are available upon request.

In April 2015, a total of 34 passive seismic surveys were conducted in the Cedar River Floodplain. The horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method is a passive seismic technique that uses a three-component seismometer to measure the vertical and horizontal components of ambient seismic noise. Seismic noise in the range of approximately 0.1 to 1 Hertz (Hz) is caused by ocean waves, large regional storms, and tectonic sources. A resonance frequency (f0) is induced in the unconsolidated deposits when there is a substantial contrast (greater than 2:1) in shear-wave acoustic impedance between the overburden and the bedrock. The f0 is determined from the analysis of the spectral ratio of the horizontal and vertical components of the seismic data. The thickness of the overburden can be related to the f0. In general, lower f0 relates to thicker sediments, and higher f0 relates to relatively thinner overburden.

In June 2018, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collected geophysical measurements to help evaluate the suitability of a proposed landfill site for disposing mine-waste materials in Fredericktown, MO. A total of 35 horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) passive seismic measurements were collected at the site. The HVSR technique uses a three-component seismometer to measure the vertical and horizontal components of ambient seismic noise. Seismic noise in the range of approximately 0.1 to 1 Hertz (Hz) is caused by ocean waves, large regional storms, and tectonic sources. A resonance frequency (f0) is induced in the unconsolidated sediments when there is a substantial contrast (greater than 2 to 1 ratio) in shear-wave acoustic impedance between the overburden and the bedrock. The HVSR data were interpreted to determine the f0 from analysis of the spectral ratio of the horizontal and vertical components of the seismic data. The thickness of the overburden can be related to f0. In general, lower f0 relates to thicker sediments, and higher f0 relates to relatively thinner overburden. At the Fredericktown, MO, site the resonance frequency was related to the depth of the overburden using an average shear-wave velocity that was measured at the site using active seismic source measurements. About two thirds of the HVSR surveys exhibited low to zero amplitude peaks, which is consistent with either a low amplitude acoustic impedance, an overburden layer, or a combination of both that is too thin to measure. The median value of the depth to bedrock for the 10 reliable measurements was 1.6 meters.

A suite of geophysical methods was used along the Des Moines River, Beaver Creek, and in the Des Moines River floodplain in Des Moines, Iowa to support the hydrogeologic characterization of the alluvial aquifer associated with the river. The aquifer consists of sands and gravels underlain by weathered shale bedrock. Groundwater from the aquifer along with surface water sources are used for municipal drinking water for the City of Des Moines and surrounding communities. The raw data provided in this data release are minimally processed to filter out erroneous measurements. Data provided in this data release includes continuous resistivity profiling (CRP) and continuous seismic profiling (CSP) that were collected concurrently, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) profiles, and horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) passive seismic measurements. The CRP and ERT measure the electrical properties of the subsurface, which can be related to stratigraphic layers. The CRP, ERT, CSP, and HVSR can be used to estimate depth to bedrock. Collectively, the suite of methods can help characterize the subsurface by mapping the extent of the sand and gravel aquifer and bedrock topography.

Using the horizontal-to-vertical spectral-ratio (HVSR) method, we infer regolith thickness (i.e., depth to bedrock) throughout the Farmington River Watershed, CT, USA. Between Nov. 2019 and Nov. 2020, MOHO Tromino Model TEP-3C (MOHO, S.R.L.) three-component seismometers collected passive seismic recordings along the Farmington River and the upstream West Branch of Salmon Brook. From these recordings, we derived resonance frequencies using the GRILLA software (MOHO, S.R.L.), and then inferred potential regolith thicknesses based on likely shear wave velocities, Vs, intrinsic to the underlying sediment. Three potential shear wave velocities (Vs = 300m/s, 337m/s, 362 m/s) were considered for Farmington River watershed sediments, providing a range of potential depth estimates along the Farmington. This release contains raw passive seismic recording data, processed resonance frequency data, and the resulting inferred depth estimates displayed in both tabular and vector form. This dataset currently contains 3 zipped files: 1) ‘Processed.zip’ is a zipped directory containing .asc text files of processed passive seismic data, individual processed reports, tabulated results, and an associated summary text file, 'readme_Processed.txt'; 2) 'Raw.zip' contains .saf text files of passive seismic recordings and an associated 'readme_Raw.txt;' and 3) ‘XYLegacyN_HVSR.zip'’ contains ESRI shapefile of HVSR point locations with attribute data & a map image offering a visualization of the depth results (where, Vs = 300m/s). Additionally, the main folder contains LegacyN_HVSR_readme.txt which describes these sub-directories in further detail

In July 2016, July 2019, and March 2020, 318 seismic recordings were acquired at locations within Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, using MOHO Tromino Model TEP-3C three-component seismometers to assess depth to bedrock using the HVSR method. This method requires a measurement of estimate of shear wave velocity, which depends on the regolith sediment composition and density, for the conversion of measured resonance frequency to a depth to bedrock. Shear wave velocities were calculated for sediment in Shenandoah NP at locations where regolith thickness is known (e.g. at documented boreholes). The locations in this study were generally selected to characterize the depths to bedrock adjacent to streams monitored for coupled temperature and flow dynamics related to several ongoing USGS projects.

Using the horizontal-to-vertical spectral-ratio (HVSR) method, we inferred the depth to bedrock at the Slate River Floodplain, CO, USA. The point-scale passive seismic data were collected using Model TEP-3C Tromino seismometers over 20 min or less intervals with the instruments coupled directly to the floodplain ground surface at 42 non-flooded locations during June 2021. The ratio of horizontal-to-vertical Fourier spectra (HVSR), determined using Grilla software (MOHO, S.R.L.), along with the estimated sediment shear-wave velocity, was used to calculate the depth to the bedrock contact. This passive seismic dataset indicates that the deepest bedrock is 16 m below the surface, while the bedrock reaches the surface at the hillslope. This release contains the inferred bedrock depths based on likely shear wave velocities (Vs) intrinsic to the underlying sediment, ranging from 300 m/s to 400 m/s, listed in the processed_data subdirectory in the file 'SLAC_HVSR_June2021.csv.' The range of possible depth to bedrock interpretations is included for demonstration purposes only.

The horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method is a passive seismic technique that uses a three-component seismometer to measure the vertical and horizontal components of ambient seismic noise. Seismic noise in the range of ~0.1 to 1 Hertz (Hz) is caused by ocean waves, large regional storms, and tectonic sources. A resonance frequency (f0) is induced in the unconsolidated when there is a substantial contrast (greater than 2:1) in shear-wave acoustic impedance between the overburden and the bedrock. The f0 is determined from the analysis of the spectral ratio of the horizontal and vertical components of the seismic data. The thickness of the overburden can be related to the f0. In general, lower f0 relates to thicker sediments, and higher f0 relates to relatively thinner overburden. At the former Callahan MIne site the resonance frequency can be related to the depth of the overburden using an average shear-wave velocity that is measured or estimated from locations where there is a known depth to rock and/or using a direct measurement of the shear-wave velocity.

A total of 119 passive seismic soundings were collected with Tromino (MoHo s.r.l.) 3-axis seismometers in the Fountain Creek area to partially refine alluvial aquifer thickness (depth to bedrock) estimates, particularly over known or suspected paleochannels. Data were collected during June 21-24, 2021 with a team of 4-5 people, each equipped with a Tromino Blu or Tromino 3G passive seismometer. A subset of the data included measurements made for shear velocity calibration; this included data collected at 10 well sites where depth to bedrock was available from driller's logs, and 3 sites above cutbanks where bedrock outcropped and the thickness of alluvial sediments could be directly measured. Data were processed using a publicly available batch R processing script (Terry, 2022). In picking depths from the 119 measurements for alluvial aquifer thickness, roughly 30% were deemed unusable, 14% were picked with low confidence, 38% were picked with medium confidence, and 18% were picked with high confidence. Calibration data suggested a shear wave velocity of 195 meters per second. Using this value, estimated alluvial aquifer thicknesses ranged from 1.7 to 26.8 meters.

In September 2018, approximately 13 miles of continuous seismic profiling (CSP) surveys were collected on the Des Moines River and Beaver Creek in Des Moines, Iowa. The swept frequency (chirp) CSP subbottom profiler was used to characterize the unconsolidated materials above the bedrock. The CSP subbottom profiler is an acoustic sound source that travels through the water column and reflects off the bottom and sub-bottom layers and is received at the transducer. Applying a water column velocity, the two-way travel time can be converted to distance. CSP methods provide the depth to water bottom, and when sufficient signal penetration is achieved, CSP can be used to delineate the depth of subbottom layers and topography of the bedrock surface. Data were collected concurrently with CRP methods. Both methods used the same .gps files for georeferencing. Starting and ending coordinates for each line are specified in the file "readme_CSP.txt". This data release contains the raw instrument files for each survey line converted to open-source files (.SGY), a comma separated values notes file (CSP_Archive_Notes_DesMoinesIA.csv), and a text file (readme_CSP.txt) file that explains data files and contains the processing references. Field notes taken at the time of data collection are not included in this data release but are available upon request.