About PASSCAL

PASSCAL Facility

The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Program for Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL) Instrument Center and EarthScope USArray Array Operations Facility (AOF) at New Mexico Tech support cutting-edge seismological research into Earth’s fundamental geological structure and processes. The facility provides instrumentation for National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and otherwise funded seismological experiments around the world. PASSCAL experiment support includes seismic instrumentation, equipment maintenance, software, data archiving, training, logistics, and field installation.

Continued expansion of IRIS activities at New Mexico Tech via the EarthScope and other initiatives has spurred a major facility expansion, the EarthScope USArray Array Operations Facility. The AOF was officially dedicated on April 6, 2005 by the New Mexico Tech administration and the IRIS Board of Directors. The combined PASSCAL Instrument Center and AOF currently support a total of 33 professional New Mexico Tech staff, as well as a contingent of student workers.

PASSCAL and USArray Flexible Array equipment is available to any research or educational institution to use for research purposes within the guidelines of established policies. These policies provide that data collected with PASSCAL and/or USArray equipment be archived at the IRIS Data Management Center and that the data are openly available to the community. Instruments can be requested online using the PASSCAL Instrument Request Forms.

EarthScope/TA Featured on the Weather Channel

The EarthScope/Transportable Array program was highlighted on the Weather Channel in an April 26th report by correspondent Dave Malkoff, titled "A CT Scan for the Earth." The segment included the actual installation of an EarthScope/TA vault in Virginia, and featured appearances by several EarthScope/TA team members, a discussion on the need for computerized tomography of the earth's interior, and an animation of the effects of Hurricane Sandy as seen by the Transportable Array.

05/03/2013

Seismic Instrumentation Technology Symposium coming to Albuquerque on June 10-11, 2013

The next Seismic Instrumentation Technology Symposium (ITS2013) will be held in Albuquerque, NM on June 10th and 11th, 2013, at the Sheraton Albuquerque Airport Hotel.

The IRIS website has a page for the conference, with the agenda, participants, and registration form.

The theme of this symposium is to examine future technology, both from the perspective of capabilities scientists and engineers are seeking and the technologies that are, or will be, in the product pipeline of the seismic technology industry. The symposium will provide a forum for perspectives from both technology users and vendors and allow generous time for discussion and interaction.

04/29/2013

PASSCAL Staff in the News

It's been an eventful media week for several of the staff of IRIS PASSCAL, who were highlighted in a lengthy piece on women in science in the New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association's magazine, enchantment, which is the second largest publication in New Mexico. Then, when a small earthquake rocked Socorro, more PASSCAL staff were prominently featured in a report on the quake in the local newspaper of record, El Defensor Chieftain.

03/08/2013

Freshman Senator Visits IRIS/PASSCAL

On Friday, February 22nd, New Mexico's newest member of the United States Senate, Martin Heinrich, paid a visit to New Mexico Tech, and the IRIS/PASSCAL Instrument Center. Senator Heinrich, who won his seat in the 2012 general election, is a strong advocate for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education, and is the only engineer currently serving in the senate.

Senator Heinrich was given an overview of activities at the school by New Mexico Tech President Dr. Dan Lopez, and also toured the Mechanical Engineering Department. Dr. Rick Aster escorted Sen. Heinrich on a tour of the PASSCAL Instrument Center, the world’s largest and the nation’s flagship federally-funded lending library of seismology equipment.

02/27/2013

Employment Opportunity at IRIS PASSCAL: Data Specialist

The IRIS PASSCAL Instrument Center at New Mexico Tech solicits applications for a professional Staff Scientist/Data Specialist for seismology support operations. The PASSCAL Instrument Center supports both controlled and passive source seismology worldwide with end-to-end experiment support services, state-of-the-art portable seismic instrumentation, and advanced field and database management tools.

02/18/2013

IRIS PASSCAL Supports Fluvial Seismology Research in Grand Canyon

When and how do rivers transport sediment from eroding landscapes? New research by Brandon Schmandt and Karl Karlstrom of the University of New Mexico and Rick Aster of New Mexico Tech is shedding light on how seismology can address this fundamental problem. The PASSCAL Instrument Center provided several quick-deploy stations from its RAMP (Rapid Array Mobilization Program) pool in support of this innovative project. The panoramic view of the Grand Canyon above was taken during a December 2012 data recovery trip.

01/29/2013

Employment Opportunity at IRIS PASSCAL: Staff Scientist/Seismometer Analyst

The IRIS PASSCAL Instrument Center at New Mexico Tech solicits applications for a professional Staff Scientist/Seismometer Analyst for seismology support operations. The PASSCAL Instrument Center supports both controlled and passive source seismology worldwide with end-to-end experiment support services, state-of-the-art portable seismic instrumentation, and advanced field and database management tools.

01/24/2013

Training at PASSCAL

In addition to loaning and maintaining devices from the instrument pool, and providing vital assistance to PIs in the field, PASSCAL also trains PIs and their colleagues at our facility in Socorro, New Mexico. These training sessions can be intense, and typically last three days. The instruction is focused on the specific technical areas requested by PIs (such as data archival methods, or mastering the intricacies of specific sensors).

Training is important for both novice and well-seasoned PIs. It provides hands-on interaction with the many types of instrumentation, software, and data handling that PASSCAL supplies, as well as the opportunity to ask questions that normally wouldn't come up until the PI is deploying equipment in the field. Training at PASSCAL provides PIs with the opportunity to have their questions answered immediately by our on-site knowledgeable staff.

12/21/2012

Facility Plan for Polar Seismic and Geodetic Science is Available

The seismic and geodetic Polar communities have worked with IRIS and UNAVCO to provide a plan for the growth, development, management and governance of Polar support services for the NSF facilities. This plan is now complete and posted on the IRIS webpage.

Here is the executive summary from the report:

2012-11-29

Installing a "Cold and Dark" Seismic Station in the Yukon

On October 8-13, 2012, a three-man team from the EarthScope Transportable Array and IRIS/PASSCAL installed a prototype "cold and dark" seismic station at Eagle Plains, Yukon Territory, Canada, just 30km south of the Arctic Circle. The station installation developed new methodologies for drilling a shallow, 55" deep borehole in exposed bedrock. Protection for electronics, power, and communication subsystems (from the elements, and from large wildlife) was provided by an all-weather hut bolted to bedrock.

10/30/2012

Experiments

PASSCAL Experiment Map

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