Global seismographic networks (GSNs) emerged during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, facilitated by seminal international developments in theory, technology, instrumentation, and ...data exchange. The mid‐ to late‐twentieth century saw the creation of the World‐Wide Standardized Seismographic Network (1961) and International Deployment of Accelerometers (1976), which advanced global geographic coverage as seismometer bandwidth increased greatly allowing for the recording of the Earth's principal seismic spectrum. The modern era of global observations and rapid data access began during the 1980s, and notably included the inception of the GEOSCOPE initiative (1982) and GSN (1988). Through continual improvements, GEOSCOPE and the GSN have realized near‐real time recording of ground motion with state‐of‐art data quality, dynamic range, and timing precision to encompass 180 seismic stations, many in very remote locations. Data from GSNs are increasingly integrated with other geophysical data (e.g., space geodesy, infrasound and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar). Globally distributed seismic data are critical to resolving crust, mantle, and core structure; illuminating features of the plate tectonic and mantle convection system; rapid characterization of earthquakes; identification of potential tsunamis; global nuclear test verification; and provide sensitive proxies for environmental changes. As the global geosciences community continues to advance our understanding of Earth structure and processes controlling elastic wave propagation, GSN infrastructure offers a springboard to realize increasingly multi‐instrument geophysical observatories. Here, we review the historical, scientific, and monitoring heritage of GSNs, summarize key discoveries, and discuss future associated opportunities for Earth Science.
Plain Language Summary
Global seismographic networks (GSNs) record information‐rich ground motion signals that allow scientists and nations to identify and quantify global earthquakes and other seismic sources, and to rapidly assess their significance and impacts on society. In addition to providing a global standard for the monitoring and assessment of such events, these networks provide unique high‐quality data that are fundamental to revealing Earth's structure and dynamic behavior. Scientific applications of GSNs, supplemented by regional data, include imaging the deep interior of the Earth and its plate tectonic system, modeling the structure and dynamics of the inner core, imaging and understanding the rupture of earthquake faults, detecting, discriminating, and characterizing nuclear and other explosions, and improving our general understanding of Earth's ubiquitous seismic wavefield and the unique information that it conveys from the deep interior to the surface and atmosphere of the planet. Leveraging the extensive and hardened infrastructure at these global observatories facilitates the recording of other signals of geophysical interest, such as the magnetic field, low frequency sound waves, and meteorological observations. We review the heritage of GSNs, including their history and resulting scientific achievements, and summarize future opportunities for these networks to contribute further to improved advancements in Earth science.
Key Points
Long running globally distributed seismographic networks are fundamental to understanding Earth's interior structure and processes
Networks have expanded beyond initial mid‐twentieth century design which were focused on recording signals from earthquakes and explosions
Global seismic data combined with data from nearby geophysical instrumentation continue to facilitate new discoveries in Earth science
Double‐difference locations of ∼8000 earthquakes from 1969–2002 on the Parkfield section of the San Andreas Fault reveal detailed fault structures and seismicity that is, although complex, highly ...organized in both space and time. Distinctive features of the seismicity include: 1) multiple recurrence of earthquakes of the same size at precisely the same location on the fault (multiplets), implying frictional or geometric controls on their location and size; 2) sub‐horizontal alignments of hypocenters along the fault plane (streaks), suggestive of rheological transitions within the fault zone and/or stress concentrations between locked and creeping areas; 3) regions devoid of microearthquakes with typical dimensions of 1–5 km (holes), one of which contains the M6 1966 Parkfield earthquake hypocenter. These features represent long lived structures that persist through many cycles of individual events.
Repeating Seismic Events in China Schaff, David P.; Richards, Paul G.
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
02/2004, Letnik:
303, Številka:
5661
Journal Article
Recenzirano
About 10% of seismic events in and near China from 1985 to 2000 were repeating events not more than about 1 kilometer from each other. We cross-correlated seismograms from ~14,000 earthquakes and ...explosions and measured relative arrival times to ~0.01 second, enabling lateral location precision of about 100 to 300 meters. Such precision is important for seismic hazard studies, earthquake physics, and nuclear test ban verification. Recognition and measurement of repeating signals in archived data and the resulting improvement in location specificity quantifies the inaccuracy of current procedures for picking onset times and locating events.
The core-level lineshape in photoemission spectra of InN is studied by high-resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The In 3d and N 1s core-levels are asymmetric, displaying a high binding ...energy tail which is attributed to inelastic losses to and/or screening by conduction band plasmons in the accumulation layer present at InN surfaces. The extent of the asymmetric tail decreases with decreasing surface Fermi level position associated with a lower density of electrons in the accumulation layer.
Seven three‐component ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Cabled Array on top of Axial Seamount are continuously streaming data in real time to the ...Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS). The OBS array records earthquakes from the submarine volcano which last erupted on 24 April 2015, about 4 months after the array came online. The OBS data have proven crucial in providing insight into the volcano structure and dynamics (Wilcock et al., 2016, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aah5563). We implemented a real‐time double‐difference (RT‐DD) monitoring system that automatically computes high‐precision (tens of meters) locations of new earthquakes. The system's underlying double‐difference base catalog includes nearly 100,000 earthquakes and was computed using kurtosis phase onset picks, cross‐correlation phase delay times, and 3‐D P and S velocity models to predict the data. The relocations reveal the fine‐scale structures of long‐lived, narrow (<200 m wide), outward dipping, convex faults on the east and west walls of the caldera that appear to form a figure 8‐shaped ring fault system. These faults accommodate stresses caused by the inflation of magma prior to and deflation during eruptions. The east fault is segmented and pulled apart in east‐west direction due to its interaction with the Juan de Fuca Ridge, which at this location forms an overlapping spreading center. The RT‐DD system enables the monitoring and rapid analysis of variations in fine‐scale seismic and fault properties and has the potential to improve prediction of timing and location of the next Axial eruption expected to occur in the 2022–2023 time frame.
Key Points
Real‐time double‐difference (RT‐DD) system enables precision monitoring of seismicity at Axial Seamount using the OOI cabled OBS array
Precise event locations reveal structure and evolution of a mature, outward dipping, convex ring fault system in the shape of a figure 8
The faults express the complex interaction between volcanic processes at Axial Seamount and sea floor spreading at the Juan der Fuca Ridge
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