Effect of MASW field configuration on estimation of shear wave propagation velocity in sloped terrain

The shear wave propagation velocity (Vs) is used in many design codes as the principal parameter for seismic site classification. Among the different options for measuring Vs, geophysical methods such as MASW (multichannel analysis of surface waves) are widely used in professional practice due to their rapid implementation and low cost. The use of MASW to measure Vs in sloped terrain presents some variations when compared with a horizontal terrain, mainly in the survey spread configuration of the measurement. With the goal of identifying the principal variables that can affect the measurement of Vs in sloped terrain, this study evaluated the effect of the MASW survey spread configuration on the estimation of shear wave velocity propagation in a terrain with an average slope of 28u. The results show that using certain configurations produces a greater frequency content, which hinders interpretation and reduces the confidence of the measured velocity profile.