The Panama Canal's Third Set of Locks Project: Geologic Setting and Site Characterization

The Panama Canal's Third Set of Locks project will be constructed east of the existing Gatun Locks on the Atlantic side and southwest of the existing Miraflores Locks on the Pacific side. The project was designed to take advantage of the excavations that were started by the Americans in 1939-1942 and were interrupted by the onset of World War II. Since that time, and more recently in 2001 and 2005 through 2008, several geologic and geotechnical investigations were carried out including thousands of core borings, geophysical studies, in-situ testing, geological mapping and laboratory testing. All these data have been used to characterize the site and foundation for the new lock structures. This paper describes the geologic setting and characterization of the sites where the new locks for the expansion of the Panama Canal will be constructed. The evolution of the various sets of subsurface information, dating from 1939 through 2008, is discussed. A description of the components of the Third Set of Locks project and the geologic conditions associated with these components are highlighted.