Acceleration of ground vibrations at Mammoth Cave National Park, 2016

The activities associated with the construction of a new walkway within Mammoth Cave caused vibrations to be felt in the cave, which is home to an endangered Indiana bat roost. These data were collected at the request of the National Park Service to monitor the vibration levels near a bat roost within Mammoth Cave National Park to determine if construction-induced vibration might be inducing the observed activity of the bats. Seven geophones and two accelerometers were placed in the passage to the bat roost to monitor the distribution of ground velocity and acceleration. The vibration signature of individual construction equipment (jackhammer, place compactor, and hammer drill), human activities during a simulated bat survey, and ambient [...]