¬¬¬¬Geotechnical observations of weathered rock across a tectonic and climatic gradient in Central Nepal

The data here are Geological Strength Index (GSI) observations of rock outcrop mechanical conditions, raw active seismic data collected in the field, and processed seismic data consisting of dispersion curves and shear-wave velocity profiles. Seismic data were collected with a Geometrics Geode Seismograph and 4.5 Hz vertical component geophones laid out in a linear array. A 10 lb sledgehammer was struck against a 5 cm thick plastic plate to generate the impulsive energy source. We used either 16 or 24 channel seismic arrays (30 and 58 surveys, respectively), and between 0.30 and 3.05 meter (1-10 ft) spacing between geophones depending on the space available at each site. We maximized array length to the space available (typically ~ 40 m), allowing for a depth of investigation of approximately 20 m or deeper depending on the velocity profile. At 3 sites (Vs 6, 9, and 77) we conducted multiple surveys with different receiver spacing to enhance both depth of investigation and resolution near the surface. We used a near offset, i.e., the distance between sledgehammer source and the first geophone, of 15–20% of the total array length to avoid near-field effects (Park et al., 1999a