This study presents the outcome of an extensive field experiment undertaken to characterize coal ash deposits in terms of dynamic properties. In-situ shear wave velocity (V_s) was measured over three hydraulically deposited coal ash deposits (two active ponds and one abandoned pond) situated in the central and southern parts of India. Multichannel analysis of surface waves was performed at twenty-one different locations on the ash deposits and the dyke top to measure the V_s profiles along the depth (z). V_s profiles measured for the abandoned coal ash deposits were greater than those of the active deposits. Moreover, the empirical association of V_s profiles from active and abandoned coal ash deposits in India, based on the present study and reported literature, yields a piecewise linear relationship between shear wave velocity and depth.