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Here are some of the articles that have been recently posted to the PASSCAL website:

SmartSolo archives flipped polarity (IGU-16HR 3C 5Hz)

Dear EarthScope Community and PASSCAL PIs:

In September of 2023 we discovered that SmartSolo node (IGU-16HR 3C, 5Hz) data archived from PASSCAL experiments has a non-standard polarity on the Z-channel relative to the down-positive industry geophone convention. Details of this discovery and the steps that will be taken to correct this discrepancy, which will affect the existing and future archives, are outlined below.

Issue

The expected polarity for data archived from PASSCAL experiments are as follow:

Broadband seismometer – Up (Z-dip = -90), North and East motion produce a positive polarity. Geophone – Down (Z-dip = +90), North and East motion produce a positive polarity

Data archived, both PH5 and SEED, prior to October 05, 2023 from PASSCAL experiments using the SmartSolo nodes have the following polarity and metadata mismatch: 

2023-12-04
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Important Hardware/Software Notes for Researchers Using PASSCAL Equipment

This page includes important Hardware/Software Notes for Researchers Using PASSCAL Equipment. January 17, 2019: GPS Rollover

Late 2018 PASSCAL learned of a GPS week rollover event that can affect data logger performance and timing. PASSCAL has acquired a GNSS signal generator that can emulate GPS satellite signals. This satellite emulator allows us to test PASSCAL equipment that relies on GPS timing and to determine how equipment will handle the GPS rollover event. To date, we have determined that some models of GPS engines are affected by the rollover. How the rollover errors manifest is dependent on the data logger’s model and firmware version of the GPS engine.

01/17/2019
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Magnetotelluric Systems at PASSCAL

Magnetotelluric (MT) methods are used to produce conductivity models of the crust and upper mantle through the recording of geoelectric and geomagnetic field variations at the Earth's surface. Depending on the period of the recordings, these methods can provide results from a few hundred meters depth (short period) to 30 km or deeper (long period). Conductivity is a physical property, which is complementary to seismic velocity, and which is very sensitive to the presence of fluids. When seismic and MT data sets are measured together, the additional data can dramatically improve determinations of the structure of the crust and mantle.

 

 

Since 2019, the EPIC (formerly known as PASSCAL) has been developing MT resources to meet PIs needs. We currently have a wide pool of MT equipment including both long-period (LEMI) and wideband (Phoenix) systems.

 

2023-12-11
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GPS Rollover: Potential Data Logger Performance & Timing Issue

Late 2018 PASSCAL learned of a GPS week rollover event that can affect data logger performance and timing. PASSCAL has acquired a GNSS signal generator that can emulate GPS satellite signals. This satellite emulator allows us to test PASSCAL equipment that relies on GPS timing and to determine how equipment will handle the GPS rollover event. To date, we have determined that some models of GPS engines are affected by the rollover. How the rollover errors manifest is dependent on the data logger’s model and firmware version of the GPS engine.

2019-02-02
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PASSCAL Announces Software release: Nexus, a simple tool for creating SEED meta-data.

PASSCAL is pleased to announce the release of Nexus, a simple tool for creating SEED meta-data.

Nexus is a software tool with a graphical interface that allows users to quickly and easily create and modify SEED meta-data. It outputs StationXML, the recently adopted replacement format for Dataless SEED. Nexus greatly simplifies preparing data for archival at the DMC. 

2018-10-17
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Pre-AGU PASSCAL Users PH5 Workshop 2017

Late-stage graduate students! Postdocs! Researchers and faculty!

IRIS PASSCAL Instrument Center would like to invite you to register for our PASSCAL Users Workshop to be held on Sunday December 10th, 2017 (the day before the beginning of the AGU Fall meeting). 

This year's workshop will be a hands-on training session covering the complete process to build a PH5 archive, starting from 'raw' data and moving to a complete archive ready to be shipped to the PIC. We will provide a standard data set for the hands-on exercise so that participants can familiarize themselves with procedures for building and verifying a PH5 archive from raw data.

2017-09-28
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Transportable Array demonstrates its new drilling rig and sensor emplacement routine for PASSCAL.

March 7th, 2017

With the expansion of TA Alaska into even more remote regions of Alaska and Canada it was necessary to develop and construct an extremely lightweight, high performance helicopter portable air rotary drill weighing less than 1700 lbs and capable of installing a 6” steel casing 2.7m deep in any type of ground including solid rock, frost shattered overburden, cobbles and frozen soils.  Based on these parameters, a custom drill rig system was commissioned and tested by IRIS for specific use on the project.  At PASSCAL we had the opportunity to be among the first testing locations for the newly constructed third generation Purple Drill.  Ryan Bierma, and Max Enders along with Bob Busby from IRIS and Mike Lundgren  from Lundgren Systems (rig developer) operated the rig, and then Ryan and Max demonstrated a mock installation of an STS-5A seismic sensor at the test site behind PASSCAL in Socorro, NM.

 

2017-03-08
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IRIS/PASSCAL Facility featured on KRQE News 13

The IRIS/PASSCAL Instrument Center was featured in a three-minute video aired on August 22nd, 2016 by Albuquerque, NM station KRQE-TV-13. The video, which included segments on other New Mexico Tech research facilities (EMRTC, Langmuir Lightning Lab, the Magdalena Ridge Observatory, and at Mt. Erebus in Antarctica) can be seen here.

 

2016-09-08
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Tutorial on PASSCAL's New Instrument Request Form and PI Home Page

In June 2016, PASSCAL implemented a new version of the Instrument Scheduling Database.

This tutorial shows Principal Investigators how to request an account, how to log in, how to use the PI Home Page, and how to submit a new and/or modify an existing Instrument Request.

2016-09-01
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Important Update to rt2ms

Important update to rt2ms program for processing RT130 data

This is to inform you about an important software update needed for processing of Reftek RT130 data in PASSCAL experiments. We recently discovered an issue with running rt2ms on the second card installed in the RT130.  Sometimes insufficient header values are being written by the RT130 and then rt2ms passes over these packets potentially resulting in a gap on one or more channels (typically less than 1 hour on higher sample rate data, larger gaps on 1sps data).  The PASSCAL Software Group has patched rt2ms to handle the missing packet headers and write all of the data that are on the card.  We highly recommend that you download and install the updated rt2ms program if you are processing any RT130 data.

2016-05-31
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EarthScope Primary Instrument Center
New Mexico Tech
100 East Road, Socorro, NM 87801