A Dynamic Investigation of the Old Hickory Earth Core Dam Using Quarry Demolition Data and Earthquake Motion

This thesis focuses on a geotechnical analysis of the Old Hickory Dam, the last dam on the Cumberland River leading to the city of Nashville, Tennessee. Old Hickory is owned and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). There is an operational limestone quarry, less than 2,000 feet from the Old Hickory dam embankment and because of the proximity of rock blasting operations, geophones were installed in 2015 to ensure the safety of the dam. Records of piezometric response to rock blasting via seismograph recordings are used in this study to analyze the dam’s Slope Stability, Dynamic response, and Block on a Plane analysis. The Old Hickory dam embankments closely resemble those of USACE levees along the Mississippi River, where further research is needed to better understand the effects of a seismic event of the New Madrid seismic zone. This thesis is one of many usable data points presented as a way forward on future seismic research in the Mississippi Valley region, using Old Hickory Dam as a calibrated model for future studies.