http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/rss/experiments en http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/scheduledetails/exptnumb/201317 As a base for the lithospheric investigations of the Andes we propose three seismic wide-angle profiles crossing the orogen at three representative sites, in order to determine the internal structure and the relation to the gravimetric root of the orogen. Up to date there are no seismic studies at lithospheric scale which cross the Merida Andes, which points to the importance of the proposed study, helping to unreveal much of the doubts regarding the origin, evolution and structural configuration of the Andean chain that arose in past years. The seismic wide angle studies are complemented with the re-interpretation of existing seismic reflection data, which will allow to establish a relation between the Merida Andes and the flexural basins of Maracaibo and Barinas-Apure, thus contributing to the knowledge on the development of these petroleum bearing basins. The profile proposed crossing Burro Negro Fault seeks defining their importance at crustal level and the implication for the generation of petroleum bearing basins in the region. http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/scheduledetails/exptnumb/201205 This project focuses on deployment of a surface passive seismic network and an array of borehole seismometers on Whillhans Ice Stream in the vicinity of Subglacial Lake Whillians as part of the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) program. This work adds a new and exciting component to the WISSARD project that will help to reveal the role of subglacial hydrology in controlling temporal variability of ice stream dynamics and mass balance. Specifically, borehole seismology will allow basal earthquakes and seismic signals generated by subglacial hydrology to be recorded and studied that are orders of magnitude smaller and have a more complete frequency content than possible using surface instrumentation alone. http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/scheduledetails/exptnumb/201237 We propose to conduct a suite of experiments to study spatial and temporal variations of basal conditions beneath Beardmore Glacier, an East Antarctic outlet glacier that discharges into the Ross Sea Embayment. Measurements include: (i) airborne and surface-based radar to map the ice thickness and geometry of the sub-glacial trough; (ii) active and passive seismic experiments, together with ground-based radar and GPS measurements to map spatial and temporal variations of conditions at the ice-bed interface. The observational data will be used to constrain dynamic models of glacier flow. The models will be used to address the following: • What are the primary controls on the dynamics of Antarctic outlet glaciers? • What are the conditions at the bed? How do they vary spatially and temporally, and how might such variability affect the sliding and flow of these glaciers? • Could these outlet glaciers draw down the interior of East Antarctica, and if so, how fast? http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/scheduledetails/exptnumb/201324 We will be deploying a dense network of broadband seismic and infrasound sensors and meteorological stations to record the persistent long period (LP) energy being generated by the volcano. This data will be used to model source characteristics and understand how persistent LPs are generated and how they radiate though the earth and atmosphere. http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/scheduledetails/exptnumb/201340 This experiment is designed to record an implosion of a multi-story building on the California State University-East Bay campus, which is located approximately on the Hayward Fault. The goal of the experiment is to better understand the structure of the Hayward Fault and variations in ground motion in the vicinity of the Hayward Fault. http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/scheduledetails/exptnumb/201302 This experiment will acquire a family of geophysical, geochemical and geological observations in and around northern Lake Malawi to test fundamental hypotheses regarding continental rupture. Together, these data will allow us to characterize extensional deformation and magmatism at depth in the crust, mantle lithosphere and upper asthenosphere. These include seismic reflection data, onshore/offshore wide-angle seismic reflection/refraction data, passive seismic data (including body waves and surface waves), seismicity, long-period and wide-band MT data, continuous GPS data, InSAR data, and geochemical data. The IRIS PASSCAL component consists of 40 BB stations and 16 IP stations deployed for a period of 18 months. http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/scheduledetails/exptnumb/201332 As part of the Cascadia Initiative Expedition Team educational and outreach effort we are installing seismometers in local schools to assess ground amplification. Web site: http://cascadia.uoregon.edu/CIET/education The Seismometers at School Sites (S@SS) program engages high school students and teachers in using seismic monitoring to characterize school site shaking. Students help collect and analyze data from multiple school sites to compare shaking in response to seismic noise sources and nearby (typically small) earthquakes. Sites are ranked in terms of site shaking responses. Students and teachers then accompany structural engineers who examine school structures for seismic hazards (or consider previous analyses) and prepare reports and presentations for school district officials, including school boards and administrators. In addition to learning some fundamentals of seismology, students develop mathematical and computational skills to help characterize individual school sites, and communications skills in preparing and presenting reports. Students gain experience at the intersection of science and public policy by serving as advocates for retrofitting or remodeling schools to survive large earthquakes. http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/scheduledetails/exptnumb/201324 We will be deploying a dense network of broadband seismic and infrasound sensors and meteorological stations to record the persistent long period (LP) energy being generated by the volcano. This data will be used to model source characteristics and understand how persistent LPs are generated and how they radiate though the earth and atmosphere. http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/scheduledetails/exptnumb/201335 Pagan volcano is the largest and one of the most active volcanoes in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The last major eruption was in 2010, forcing the evacuation of the island. The island has never been monitored and is in the 'highest priority' category the USGS National Early Warning Systems (NVEWS) list of unmonitored U.S. volcanoes. The local government would like to resettle the island, and the U.S. Armed Forces are interested in having the volcano monitored because it could serve as a potential base location or training grounds in the future. The USGS Alaska Volcano Observatory, in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers, sis planning to install a permanent monitoring network in late May - June 2013. In addition, and as the focus of my Mendenhall post-doctoral fellowship, I have been asked to conduct a more intensive research experiment on the island with the goals of: 1) characterizing background levels of seismic and infrasound emissions from Pagan, 2) modeling seismic and infrasound source mechanisms, 3) measuring shallow seismic velocity and attenuation with a series of high-impact helicopter mass drops, and 4) imaging shallow structures and recording time-lapse changes in the volcanic edifice using ambient noise cross-correlations. Our tentative plan is to install three 4-component infrasound arrays around the edifice as well as 16 broadband seismic stations in a network configuration on the volcano. This data will be collected in conjunction with high sample rate SO2 gas emission data and a time-lapse camera network. http://www.passcal.nmt.edu/scheduledetails/exptnumb/201222 This project will collect three years of broadband data along a linear profile stretching from Nova Scotia through Maine to northern Quebec. It is a collaboration between Columbia University, Rutgers University and University of QUebec in Montreal. The goals are lithospheric structure, from the center of the craton to the rifted edge, as well as a detailed investigation of three major tectonic boundaries (Grenville Front, Appalachian Front, Norumberga Fault zone) in the stable part of North American continent. The array is a mixture of longer-term widely spaced sites and three denser local arrays.