Abstract

The Tierras Altas region in Chiriqui, Panama presents a high agricultural activity susceptible to extreme climatic events, especially precipitation and surface runoff due to its high moisture retention capacity soils. A mountainous region with heavy winter rainfall and dry summers, part of the Chiriqui volcanic arc, and the point of triple convergence of the Coco, Nazca, and Panama microplate, also makes it a seismic threat zone. Historically, the Tierras Altas district has been susceptible to landslides, floods, and erosion-related phenomena. Through site characterization and the survey of ground dynamics, the research aims to build the input data of geological parameters and analyze dynamic properties through geophysical measurements of surface accelerations, allowing the characterization of the region and the coupling of the soil with climatic and seismic triggers. The results focus on geospatial maps and georeferenced datasets. The preliminary results were obtained through a GIS-based methodology that mapped the physical and dynamic properties of soils, identified high susceptibility zones, and analyzed how the measured dynamic data adjusted the Vs30 model.