Monitoring Tectonic Movements with Low Cost GNSS Measurement Systems

Abstract

Geodetic GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) measurement systems play a crucial role in studies aimed at monitoring crustal movements. From the past to the present, GNSS measurement systems have served as active measurement tools within the scope of these studies. In these studies, geodetic GNSS measurement systems can be used as continuous reference stations and are primarily employed in campaign-type measurements. However, the setup and operation of continuous reference stations require a significantly high financial budget. On the other hand, campaign-type measurements necessitate simultaneous data collection using multiple GNSS measurement systems, depending on criteria such as the size of the field and the number of points. This, in turn, increases the overall measurement costs. Today, due to the high expenses associated with geodetic GNSS measurement systems, research is being conducted on the use of low-cost GNSS systems in structural health monitoring, displacement determination, and other applications. Since the studies conducted so far have generally been limited to short-term observations at short baselines, there remain questions about the performance of low-cost GNSS measurement systems in monitoring crustal movements. In this study, the objective is to determine the performance of GNSS measurement systems, whose unit costs are considerably lower compared to geodetic GNSS systems, in monitoring crustal movements. For this purpose, two low-cost GNSS measurement systems will be deployed on the northeastern edge of the surface rupture caused by the earthquakes of Mw7.8 and Mw7.6 that occurred in Kahramanmaraş on 06.02.2023. This will enable the continuous monitoring of the post-earthquake effects in the Çelikhan segment on the East Anatolian Fault (DAF). Furthermore, the performance of low-cost GNSS measurement systems will be assessed. In addition to the measurements taken at permanent stations, campaign-type GNSS measurements will be conducted at four different points using both geodetic and two low-cost GNSS measurement systems throughout the project. By processing the data obtained from geodetic GNSS measurement systems and the data acquired from low-cost GNSS measurement systems in the same region, the results will be analyzed. This analysis aims to determine the performance of low-cost systems in monitoring tectonic structures through continuous measurements and campaign-type measurements. This is work is supported by TUBITAK project number 123Y147.