3-D Characterization of Seismic Properties at the Smart Weapons Test Range, YPG

The Smart Weapons Test Range (SWTR) is a new facility constructed specifically for the development and testing of futuristic intelligent battlefield sensor networks within the Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), Arizona. In this paper, results are presented for an extensive high-resolution geophysical characterization study at the SWTR site along with validation using 3-D modeling. In this study, several shallow seismic methods and processing techniques were used to generate a 3-D grid of earth seismic properties, including compressional (P) and shear (S) body-wave speeds (Vp and Vs), and their associated body-wave attenuation parameters (Qp, and Qs). These experiments covered a volume of earth measuring 1500 m × 300 m × 25 m deep (11 million cubic meters), centered on the vehicle test track at the SWTR site. The study has resulted in detailed characterizations of key geophysical properties. To our knowledge, results of this kind have not been previously achieved, nor have the methods developed for this effort been reported elsewhere. In addition to supporting materiel developers with important geophysical information at this test range, the data from this study will be used to validate sophisticated 3-D seismic signature models for moving vehicles.