Project Title

EarthScope SAGE: Erebus Backbone Network Project

Summary

Event Number:
T-312-M
NSF Agreement

Program Director:
Dr. Michael Jackson

ASC POC/Implementer:
Paul Sullivan / Jenny Cunningham

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Glen Mattioli
glen.mattioli@earthscope.org
EarthScope Consortium
Longmont, Colorado

Project Web Site:
https://www.earthscope.org/

Location

Supporting Stations: McMurdo Station
Research Locations: Mount Erebus

Description

EarthScope SAGE (formerly IRIS/PASSCAL) is designing and fabricating components for a near-real time seismic network to be installed at various locations near the summit of Mount Erebus. This infrastructure will support the scientific and hazard monitoring objectives of the Office of Polar Programs community and supplant the temporary Erebus Interim observational array. The PASSCAL (Program for Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere) Instrument Center at New Mexico Tech supports cutting edge seismological research into Earth’s fundamental geological structure and processes. The scope of this project does not include a directive for ongoing monitoring of the resulting data, but the data will be archived at the IRIS Data Management Center. This network will be comprised of five stations that each will include broadband, strong motion, and infrasound sensing capabilities. They will also be able to facilitate the expansion of other sensing capabilities.

Field Season Overview

Support for T-312-M will be entirely provided by EarthScope SAGE participants. The goal this season will be to service the three low-elevation Erebus Perimeter Experiment sites, and to drill boreholes to emplace new seismic sensors and upgraded seismic equipment at the five Erebus Backbone Network (EBN) sites. To work on the summit of Mt. Erebus, the team will acclimatize at Fang Camp and then move up to and reside at Lower Erebus Hut (LEH). LEH will be managed by Antarctic Support Contract (ASC) staff while the team resides there. A drill team of two will first begin drilling 2.5 m deep boreholes at the EBN sites, requiring helicopters to sling the drill to the sites in several trips. The seismic team of four, including one ASC mountaineer, will follow with additional helicopter slings to install seismic equipment in the new boreholes. Installations include new enclosures and power systems, solar panels, broadband seismometers, near-real time telemetry systems, infrasound sensors, and motion sensors. Existing old equipment at the sites will be decommissioned.

Deploying Team Members