Institut De Physique Du Globe Research Articles

GEOSCOPE Network: 40 Yr of Global Broadband Seismic Data

Abstract The GEOSCOPE observatory (Institut de physique du globe de Paris [IPGP] and École et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre de Strasbourg, 1982) provides more than four decades of high-quality continuous broadband data to the scientific community. Started in 1982 with only two stations, the network has grown over the years thanks to numerous international partnerships. At present, 34 stations operate in 18 countries across all continents and on islands throughout the oceans, filling important gaps in global Earth coverage. Most of the first installed stations are still running today, allowing for long-term observations, and new sites are being prospected to further improve global coverage. Over the years, GEOSCOPE has contributed to defining today’s global seismology standards (data format, data quality level, instrumentation requirements), being the French contribution to the international effort for global seismic observations. The stations are instrumented with the best quality seismometers (from the very first STS-1 in the early 80s to the last STS-6A and Trillium T360 today) and digitizers (Q330HR and Centaur) to record with high fidelity the ground motions generated by all types of seismic sources. Real-time data are sent to the tsunami warning centers and both validated and real-time data are available at the IPGP, Epos-France and Earthscope data centers. The quality of GEOSCOPE data and metadata is ensured by daily and yearly validation that enables issue detection and mitigation. GEOSCOPE, in collaboration with the other global networks, has played and continues to play a crucial role in the study of Earth’s structure and global dynamics and the characterization of all types of seismic sources.

The 4th Southeast Asian Conference on Geophysics (SEACG) 2022: Great Challenges and Opportunities of Geophysics Today and Future

The Southeast Asian Conference on Geophysics (SEACG) is a biannual event held by the Geophysical Engineering Department, Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia. The SEACG has been successfully conducted since 2016, and several selected papers have been published in the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. The first (2016) and second (2018) conferences were held offline in Bali, Indonesia, while the third conference (2020) was held virtually due to the Covid19 pandemic. Along with the end of the Covid19 pandemic, the current event (2022) is being run as a hybrid conference (physical and virtual), live from Bandung, Indonesia.The conference theme of the SEACG 2022 is “Great Challenges and Opportunities of Geophysics Today and Future.” The program lasts two days, from August 9, 2022, to August 10, 2022, and is sponsored by the Institute of Research and Community Services, ITB. There are 11 invited international speakers (30-minute duration) and 88 contributed speakers (20 min duration) who presented their ideas. With five panel rooms, 35 contributed speakers delivered offline presentations and 53 virtually via Zoom. The speakers, both invited and contributed, presented and introduced new geophysical insights and techniques.The panel discussion featured intriguing topics and invited speakers from various institutions, such as Institut Teknologi Bandung – Indonesia (Dr.rer.nat. R. Mohammad Rachmat Sule, Dr. Tedi Yudistira, Prof. Sri Widiyantoro, Prof. Wahyu Srigutomo, and Prof. Wawan Gunawan Abdul Kadir), CSIRO – Australia (Dr. Erdinc Saygin), Australian National University – Australia (Prof. Phil Cummins), University of Tokyo – Japan (Prof. Takeshi Tsuji), JGI, Inc. – Japan (Moeto Fujisawa, M.Sc.), Ocean University of China – China (Dr. Zhijun Du), and Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris – France (Dr. Jean-Philippe Metaxian). The event was opened by Dr. Fatkhan (the Head of the Geophysical Engineering Master and Doctorate Degree Program, ITB) and closed by Dr. Warsa (the Head of the Geophysical Engineering Bachelor Degree Program, ITB).The SEACG 2022 provided a platform for academics, professionals, and students to discuss and promote scientific results related to recent advancements in geophysical methods and related sciences. The conference covered various session topics, such as Fault and Deformation Study, Passive Seismic, Environmental Geophysics, Geophysical Approaches in Hydrocarbon, Geophysical Approaches in Geothermal, Advance Geophysics, Vulcanology, Tomography, Seismic Hazards, Geomagnetic, and Seismology.We would thank the organization’s team members, the reviewers, and the faculty staff. They have worked very hard to make this event possible. We wish all attendees of SEACG 2022 have an exciting experience and enjoy the moment in this scientific forum.List of Organizing Committee, Documentation are available in this pdf.

Building a Natural-Hazard-Resilient High-Quality Seismic Network: How WI Network Sustained Hurricanes Maria and Irma

Abstract Between 2008 and 2014, the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) and the University of the West Indies, Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) designed and built a regional seismic network across the Lesser Antilles. One of the goals of the network is to provide real-time seismic data to the tsunami warning centers in the framework of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group working toward the establishment of a tsunami and other coastal hazards early warning system (ICG-CARIBE-EWS) for the Caribbean and adjacent regions (McNamara et al., 2016). In an area prone to hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, we chose different techniques and technologies to ensure that our cooperated network could survive and keep providing data in case of major natural hazards. The Nanometrics very small aperture terminal (VSAT) technology is at the heart of the system. It allows for duplicated data collection at the three observatories (Trinidad, Martinique, and Guadeloupe; Anglade et al., 2015). In 2017, the network design and implementation were put to the test with Saffir–Simpson category 5 hurricanes Irma and Maria that went, respectively, through the north and central portion of the Lesser Antilles, mainly impacting the sites operated by volcanological and seismological observatories of IPGP in Martinique (Observatoire Volcanologique et Sismologique de Martinique [OVSM]) and in Guadeloupe (Observatoire Volcanologique et Sismologique de Guadeloupe [OVSG]). Our concepts proved to be valid with a major data shortage of less than 12 hr and only two stations having sustained heavy damage. In this article, we review the strengths and weaknesses of the initial design and discuss various steps that can be taken to enhance the ability of our cooperated network to provide timely real-time seismic data to tsunami warning centers under any circumstances.

GIUSEPPE FOLGHERAITER: THE ITALIAN PIONEER OF ARCHAEOMAGNETISM

ABSTRACT The history of the science of archaeomagnetism conventionally starts in 1600 with the publication of William Gilbert's monumental work De Magnete, but the theoretical basis of this scientific field has to be positioned at the end of the nineteenth century. In Italy at that time, a number of scientists such as Giambattista Beccaria, Macedonio Melloni and Silvestro Gherardi, were working on magnetic field characteristics and their work variously contributed to the early study of Earth and rock magnetism. A major contribution to the birth of paleomagnetism as a science, and archaeomagnetism as a dating technique, was produced by Giuseppe Folgheraiter (1856–1913) by means of his research on the magnetic properties of volcanic deposits and his attempts to date ancient pottery of different epochs based on the magnetic properties of clay materials. Initially, Folgheraiter studied the rock magnetism of the volcanic rocks of Latium where he replicated the findings of Macedonio Melloni, who had studied Vesuvius lavas, and found that volcanic rocks are affected by a permanent magnetization. In addition, Folgheraiter verified the discovery by Filippo Keller of the Punti distinti. Folgheraiter also made the innovative proposal that lightning strongly influences the magnetic properties of lavas resulting in magnetic disorder. The main analytical effort of Folgheraiter at the end of the nineteenth century was dedicated to the study of the variations of magnetic inclination in different epochs as registered in archaeological pottery. He produced archaeomagnetic sets of analyses on 191 samples grouped into 10 epochs, that resulted in the first reconstruction of a geomagnetic secular variation curve (SVC). Even if nowadays the Folgheraiter analytical results have been replaced by more precise measurements, a great portion of the development of modern archaeomagnetic techniques originated with Folgheraiter’s experiments and intuitions. Many of those advances were improved upon only during the first half of the twentieth century by Emile Thellier (1904–1987). Actually, the well-known work by Thellier, resulting in the birth of the Saint Maur archaeomagnetic laboratory at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, had as a starting point the theories and suggestions developed by Giuseppe Folgheraiter. Based on the studies by Thellier, the well-known secular variation curve for France was derived, later to be perfected by Ileana Bucur in 1994.

Volcano Crisis Management at Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion) during the COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract In March 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and became a global health crisis. Authorities worldwide implemented lockdowns to restrict travel and social exchanges in a global effort to counter the pandemic. In France, and in French overseas departments, the lockdown was effective from 17 March to 11 May 2020. It was in this context that the 2–6 April 2020 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion Island, Indian Ocean) took place. Upon the announcement of the lockdown in France, a reduced activity plan was set up by the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, which manages the Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la Fournaise (OVPF). The aim was to (1) maintain remote monitoring operations by teleworking and (2) authorize fieldwork only for critical reasons, such as serious breakdowns of stations or transmission relays. This eruption provided an opportunity for the observatory to validate its capacity to manage a volcanic crisis with 100% remotely operated monitoring networks. We thus present the long- and short-term precursors to the eruption, and the evolution of the eruption recorded using the real-time monitoring data as communicated to the stakeholders. The data were from both continuously recording and transmitting field instruments as well as satellites. The volcano observatory staff remotely managed the volcano crisis with the various stakeholders based only on these remotely functioning networks. Monitoring duties were also assured in the absence of ad hoc field investigation of the eruption by observatory staff or face-to-face communications. The density and reliability of the OVPF networks, combined with satellite observations, allowed for trustworthy instrument-based monitoring of the eruption and continuity of the OVPF duties in issuing regular updates of volcanic activity in the context of a double crisis: volcanic and health.

First Optical Seismometer at the Top of La Soufrière Volcano, Guadeloupe

Abstract Accurate monitoring of volcanic activity demands expertise in fields including geophysics, geology, and geochemistry. Data obtained from the most recent technical advances are particularly vital in pre-eruptive phases. In particular, seismic monitoring in near real time is essential to locating and discriminating early signs among different sources of seismic waves, especially those related to movement and overpressure in underground fluids. Among the major indicators of volcanic restlessness are fumaroles, or gas and steam vents, often located near a volcanic summit. Their activity could be monitored by seismometers in their vicinity, but today’s standard instruments cannot last very long when exposed to the high temperatures and the billowing, sulfurous, acidic gases near a fumarole. Conventional gear may also not be accessible for emergency deployment, or repair, even in pre-eruptive phases. La Soufrière de Guadeloupe Volcano in the Caribbean typifies such challenges. Its last significant event was a phreatic (gas and steam) eruption in 1976 that prompted evacuation of the archipelago’s nearby capital. Since early 2018, the 1467-meter-high stratovolcano has shown signs of increased activity. To provide a hardy, high-resolution monitoring system, we installed a recently developed type of seismometer just 10 m from a vigorous summit fumarole. The sensor is a purely opto-mechanical geophone that is interrogated through a 1.5 km fiber-optic cable by a remote, and thus it is a much safer optic-electronic system down the volcano’s flank. The ESEO Group and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) started development of this novel seismometer in 2008. The 2019 Guadeloupe installation is part of the HIgh PERformance SeISmometer (HIPERSIS) project (French Agence Nationale de la Recherche [ANR]). It is, to our knowledge, the first high-resolution optical seismometer ever installed on an active volcano or other active, hazardous zone. We report here the details of this installation, the means we are using for measurements, and our implementation strategy, and we share some of the first results. Such an optical seismometer, as well as a variety of other geophysical sensors built on the same principle, can be installed in a wide variety of sites with fibers up to 50 km long.

Preface

R. M. Rachmat Sule1, Zulfakriza1*, David P. Sahara1, Fernando Lawrens H2, Rexha Verdhora Ry3Department of Geophysical Engineering, Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia2Kyushu University, Japan, 3Australian National University, Australiaemail: seacg2018@gmail.comThis issue of Journal IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science contains the outstanding papers presented at Southeast Asian Conference on Geophysics (SEACG) 2018. The SEACG is the second event which was organized by Department of Geophysical Engineering, Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB). It was held for 3 days between 7 and 9 August, 2018 in Bali – a small beautiful island and a part of Indonesia archipelago.This conference provided a venue for collaboration, sharing and developing new ideas and technologies. The SEACG created an opportunity for academics, professionals, and students to promote and discuss the scientific results related to recent development in geophysical methods and related science. Topics to be during the conference including: (1) applied geophysics, (2) earthquake seismology and volcanology (3) environmental geophysics, (4) geophysical exploration for oil and gas, (5) applied geophysics for geothermal exploration, (6) seismic method for geothermal exploration, (7) gravity method, (8) rock physics, and (9) near surface geophysics.The main objective of this conference is to lead to develop new ideas and technologies in geophysical methods and related science. This year, our theme was “Geophysics: From Energy Sustainability to Geohazard and Infrastructure”, presented by the invited speakers. The invited speakers are Prof. Djoko Santoso (ITB), Prof. Sigit Sukmono (ITB), Prof. Phil Cummins (Australian National University), Prof. François Beauducel (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris), and Prof. Nanang T. Puspito (ITB).List of Photographs and Committees are available in this PDF.

The equatorial electrojet (EEJ) current deduced from CHAMP satellite and ground magnetic measurements in West Africa

The equatorial electrojet (EEJ) is an intense daytime ionospheric current that circulates eastward along the geomagnetic dip equator. In this work, the EEJ current intensity was studied from ground-based magnetic data and CHAllenging Minisatellite Playoad (CHAMP) satellite observations. The ground-based magnetic data were recorded along a meridian chain of three stations across the dip equator in West Africa. These stations were operated by the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP). For the CHAMP satellite data, vector magnetometer records during geomagnetically quiet periods with Kp ≤ 2 were used. To estimate the EEJ current intensity, we have first isolated its magnetic effect from CHAMP satellite observations for 10 years (from July 2000 to September 2010). The results were used to analyze the EEJ seasonal variability and the local time and longitude dependence. In addition, a comparison between ground-based and satellite observations of the EEJ current intensity was made. A good correlation was found between satellite and ground-based EEJ current intensity, with an average correlation coefficient of r 2 ~0.93. This performed correlation show that the technique used in this study can be extended to all ground magnetic stations for modeling the EEJ phenomena.

Evidence of an axial magma chamber beneath the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge

Research Article| February 01, 2017 Evidence of an axial magma chamber beneath the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge Hanchao Jian; Hanchao Jian 1Institute of Theoretical and Applied Geophysics, School of Earth and Space Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China2Laboratoire de Géosciences Marines, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, 1 rue Jussieu, 75238 Paris Cedex 05, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Satish C. Singh; Satish C. Singh * 2Laboratoire de Géosciences Marines, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, 1 rue Jussieu, 75238 Paris Cedex 05, France *E-mails: singh@ipgp.fr; johnyc@pku.edu.cn. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Yongshun John Chen; Yongshun John Chen * 1Institute of Theoretical and Applied Geophysics, School of Earth and Space Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China3School of Oceanography, South University of Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen 518055, China *E-mails: singh@ipgp.fr; johnyc@pku.edu.cn. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jiabiao Li Jiabiao Li 4Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou 310012, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Hanchao Jian 1Institute of Theoretical and Applied Geophysics, School of Earth and Space Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China2Laboratoire de Géosciences Marines, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, 1 rue Jussieu, 75238 Paris Cedex 05, France Satish C. Singh * 2Laboratoire de Géosciences Marines, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, 1 rue Jussieu, 75238 Paris Cedex 05, France Yongshun John Chen * 1Institute of Theoretical and Applied Geophysics, School of Earth and Space Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China3School of Oceanography, South University of Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen 518055, China Jiabiao Li 4Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou 310012, China *E-mails: singh@ipgp.fr; johnyc@pku.edu.cn. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 14 Jul 2016 Revision Received: 02 Nov 2016 Accepted: 03 Nov 2016 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online Issn: 1943-2682 Print Issn: 0091-7613 © 2016 Geological Society of America Geology (2017) 45 (2): 143–146. https://doi.org/10.1130/G38356.1 Article history Received: 14 Jul 2016 Revision Received: 02 Nov 2016 Accepted: 03 Nov 2016 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Hanchao Jian, Satish C. Singh, Yongshun John Chen, Jiabiao Li; Evidence of an axial magma chamber beneath the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge. Geology 2017;; 45 (2): 143–146. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G38356.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Ultraslow-spreading ridges are a novel class of spreading centers symbolized by amagmatic crustal accretion, exposing vast amounts of mantle-derived peridotites on the seafloor. However, distinct magmatic centers with high topographies and thick crusts are also observed within the deep axial valleys. This suggests that despite the low overall melt supply, the magmatic process interacting with the tectonic process should play an important role in crustal accretion; however, this has been obscured due to the lack of seismic images of magma chambers. Using a combination of seismic tomography and full waveform inversion of ocean bottom seismometer data from the Southwest Indian Ridge at 50°28′E, we report the presence of a large low-velocity anomaly (LVA) ∼4–9 km below the seafloor, representing an axial magma chamber (AMC) in the lower crust. This suggests that the 9.5-km-thick crust here is mainly formed by a magmatic process. The LVA is overlain by a high-velocity layer, possibly forming the roof of the AMC and defining the base of hydrothermal circulation. The steep velocity gradient just below the high-velocity layer is explained by the ponding of magma at the top of the AMC; this could provide the overpressure for lateral dike propagation along the ridge axis, leading to a complex interaction between magma emplacement, tectonic, and hydrothermal processes, and creating a diversity of seafloor morphology and extremely heterogeneous crust. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Fluxgate vector magnetometers: A multisensor device for ground, UAV, and airborne magnetic surveys

Fluxgate magnetometers are quite uncommon in geophysics. Recent advances in calibration of the devices and their magnetic compensation ability led Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg to develop instruments for magnetic measurements at different scales for a wide range of applications — from submetric measurements on the ground to aircraft-conducted acquisition by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). A case study on the aerial military base BA112 shows the usefulness of the instruments for the detection of underground pipes, unexploded ordnance, and archaeological remains.

W phase source inversion using high‐rate regional GPS data for large earthquakes

AbstractW phase moment tensor inversion has proven to be a reliable method for rapid characterization of large earthquakes. For global purposes it is used at the United States Geological Survey, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg. These implementations provide moment tensors within 30–60 min after the origin time of moderate and large worldwide earthquakes. Currently, the method relies on broadband seismometers, which clip in the near field. To ameliorate this, we extend the algorithm to regional records from high‐rate GPS data and retrospectively apply it to six large earthquakes that occurred in the past 5 years in areas with relatively dense station coverage. These events show that the solutions could potentially be available 4–5 min from origin time. Continuously improving GPS station availability and real‐time positioning solutions will provide significant enhancements to the algorithm.

Water, oceanic fracture zones and the lubrication of subducting plate boundaries—insights from seismicity

We investigate the relationship between subduction processes and related seismicity for the Lesser Antilles Arc using the Gutenberg–Richter law. This power law describes the earthquake-magnitude distribution, with the gradient of the cumulative magnitude distribution being commonly known as the b-value. The Lesser Antilles Arc was chosen because of its along-strike variability in sediment subduction and the transition from subduction to strike-slip movement towards its northern and southern ends. The data are derived from the seismicity catalogues from the Seismic Research Centre of The University of the West Indies and the Observatoires Volcanologiques et Sismologiques of the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris and consist of subcrustal events primarily from the slab interface. The b-value is found using a Kolmogorov–Smirnov test for a maximum-likelihood straight line-fitting routine. We investigate spatial variations in b-values using a grid-search with circular cells as well as an along-arc projection. Tests with different algorithms and the two independent earthquake cataloges provide confidence in the robustness of our results. We observe a strong spatial variability of the b-value that cannot be explained by the uncertainties. Rather than obtaining a simple north–south b-value distribution suggestive of the dominant control on earthquake triggering being water released from the sedimentary cover on the incoming American Plates, or a b-value distribution that correlates with on the obliquity of subduction, we obtain a series of discrete, high b-value ‘bull's-eyes’ along strike. These bull's-eyes, which indicate stress release through a higher fraction of small earthquakes, coincide with the locations of known incoming oceanic fracture zones on the American Plates. We interpret the results in terms of water being delivered to the Lesser Antilles subduction zone in the vicinity of fracture zones providing lubrication and thus changing the character of the related seismicity. Our results suggest serpentinization around mid-ocean ridge transform faults, which go on to become fracture zones on the incoming plate, plays a significant role in the delivery of water into the mantle at subduction zones.

European Research Council funds 2D ultra-deep seismic reflection data acquisition across the Atlantic Ocean

Professor Satish Singh of the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) reports on a European Research Council (ERC) funded project to study the oceanic lithosphere down to its base at up to 100 km depth.

Significant technical advances in broadband seismic stations in the Lesser Antilles

Abstract. In the last few years, French West Indies observatories from the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), in collaboration with The UWI Seismic Research Centre (SRC, University of West Indies), have modernized the Lesser Antilles Arc seismic and deformation monitoring network. 15 new, permanent stations have been installed that strengthen and expand its detection capabilities. The global network of the IPGP-SRC consortium is now composed of 20 modernized stations, all equipped with broadband seismometers, strong motion sensors, Global Positioning System (GPS) sensors and satellite communication for real-time data transfer. To enhance the sensitivity and reduce ambient noise, special efforts were made to improve the design of the seismic vault and the original Stuttgart shielding of the broadband seismometers (240 and 120s corner period). Tests were conducted for several months, involving different types of countermeasures, to achieve the highest performance level of the seismometers. GPS data, realtime and validated seismic data (only broadband) are now available from the IPGP data centre (http://centrededonnees.ipgp.fr/index.php?&lang=EN). This upgraded network feeds the Caribbean Tsunami Warning System supported by UNESCO and establishes a monitoring tool that produces high quality data for studying subduction and volcanic processes in the Lesser Antilles arc.

DIMENSION OF SEAMOUNT USING MULTIBEAM ECHOSOUNDER IN BENGKULU WATERS

<p>The purpose of this research was to determine the dimensions of seamount using echosuonder in Bengkulu waters. The survey was conducted by BPPT, LIPI, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, CGGVeritas, and the Institut de Physique du Globe (IPG) Paris in the southwest of the Sumatera island on 18-19 December 2010. Two acoustic instruments were used i.e., ELAC Seabeam 1050D with a frequency of 50 kHz and Simrad EM 12D with a frequency of 12 kHz. Data acquisition was obtained by using the hydrostar software in Baruna Jaya 3 and 4 research vessels. CARIS HIPS and SIPS6.1 softwares were used toprocess the data of bathymetry. Amplitude and backscatter data were obtained by data processing on the MBSystem. Data visualization in 3-D was performed using the Fladermaus 6.2 software (personal license of Djoko Hartoyo). Seamount form was assumed as a cone with an elliptical base to calculate the dimensions. The result showed an under water seamount of 320 Km from the southwest of Bengkulu city at -4°22<sup>’</sup>9.16<sup>’’</sup>latitude and 99°25<sup>’</sup>01.47<sup>’’</sup><sup> </sup>longitude. The seamount height was ± 3,968 meters and had two peak separated at ± 3,050 meters. Seamount peaks located at ± 1.270 meters below sea level. The major axis was ± 50,240 meters and the minor axis in this seamount was ± 5,644 meters</p> <p>Keywords: seamount dimension, bathymetry, backscattering, Bengkulu Waters</p>

DIMENSION OF SEAMOUNT USING MULTIBEAM ECHOSOUNDER IN BENGKULU WATERS

The purpose of this research was to determine the dimensions of seamount using echosuonder in Bengkulu waters. The survey was conducted by BPPT, LIPI, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, CGGVeritas, and the Institut de Physique du Globe (IPG) Paris in the southwest of the Sumatera island on 18-19 December 2010. Two acoustic instruments were used i.e., ELAC Seabeam 1050D with a frequency of 50 kHz and Simrad EM 12D with a frequency of 12 kHz. Data acquisition was obtained by using the hydrostar software in Baruna Jaya 3 and 4 research vessels. CARIS HIPS and SIPS6.1 softwares were used toprocess the data of bathymetry. Amplitude and backscatter data were obtained by data processing on the MBSystem. Data visualization in 3-D was performed using the Fladermaus 6.2 software (personal license of Djoko Hartoyo). Seamount form was assumed as a cone with an elliptical base to calculate the dimensions. The result showed an under water seamount of 320 Km from the southwest of Bengkulu city at -4°22’9.16’’latitude and 99°25’01.47’’ longitude. The seamount height was ± 3,968 meters and had two peak separated at ± 3,050 meters. Seamount peaks located at ± 1.270 meters below sea level. The major axis was ± 50,240 meters and the minor axis in this seamount was ± 5,644 meters Keywords: seamount dimension, bathymetry, backscattering, Bengkulu Waters

Honors

Pascal Richet, a faculty member of the Physique des Minéraux et des Magmas, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, has been selected as the recipient of a Humboldt Research Award. Given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, this award is conferred in recognition of lifetime achievements in research.

Quest for consistency, symmetry, and simplicity — The legacy of Albert Tarantola

On 6 December 2009, the distinguished Spanish-French physicist and geoscientist, Albert Tarantola, passed away at the age of 60. Born in Barcelona in 1949, he went to Paris where he lived most of his life, and worked as a professor at Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris. His extensive scientific production and remarkable achievements in inverse problem theory and geophysical data analysis established him as one of the most influential mathematical geoscientists of our time. He became the father of probabilistic inverse theory, a theory that he passionately defended against severe criticism and managed to propagate to a major part of the geophysical community. Another major achievement was his contributions to the theory of seismic waveform inversion—a work that right now is unfolding its potential in large-scale computations. Albert’s contributions were not limited to geoscience. He started his career in astrophysics, and later in his life he wrote several papers and books on physics and probability, including new formulations of fluid dynamics, elasticity theory, global positioning, and scientific inference. Albert possessed a unique combination of exceptional skills and remarkable mental energy. He was a veritable powerhouse with an unusual work ethic, and his passion for science will remain an ideal for all those who worked with him.

Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University—A young country with a young university on the move

Singapore is a unique environment for research and one that has become a global phenomenon and model for a country truly embracing the concept of the knowledge-based economy. Over the first 10 years of the 21st century, Singapore has advanced into the “Ivy League” of research by a sustained and high investment in research both in government research institutes, notably those of the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research A Star , and in the university sector. Unusually, for a country with its population of approximately 4.5 million, there are only four universities in Singapore with one only very recently established with two of these being very major and successful institutions, of which Nanyang Technological University NTU is one. It is a relatively young university still undergoing rapid evolution and development, yet has consistently been ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide. In the most established ranking system for universities that of the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings , there are no younger universities in the top 100 category. It was originally founded in 1955 as a privately funded university Nanyang University teaching in Chinese and was the only such institution outside China and Taiwan. It aimed at serving the Chinese diaspora in South East Asia and it still retains strong links in China itself. Nanyang University was merged with the University of Singapore in 1980 to form the National University of Singapore NUS —the other major tertiary level institution—and in 1981, it was reformed as the Nanyang Technological Institute with the objective of providing training and education of engineering manpower and with the medium of instruction being English, the language of government and business in Singapore. It became a fully fledged university with its own charter in 1991. Since then, NTU has moved consistently and rapidly into the top echelon of high performing research intensive universities, especially during the 2000s Fig. 1 . Over the recent past, it has become a much more comprehensive university but still with engineering at its core and, indeed, engineering in all its guises remains two-thirds of the institution. As such, it is probably the world’s largest engineering-based institution on a single campus. Its route toward enlarging its portfolio started with the addition of the Nanyang Business School, now the top rated school in Singapore and also considered one of the best schools in the Asia-Pacific region. More recently, the addition of the College of Science, although new, is developing rapidly with a very international faculty, and the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences with a School of Art, Design, and Media housed in one of the university’s many iconic buildings, see Fig. 2 , Singapore’s only school of journalism, have added greatly to the educational and research opportunities at the university and provided the basis for a complex web of interdisciplinary activities. NTU includes the National Institute of Education NIE , responsible for the education and training of all of Singapore’s school teachers at all levels, and the Rajeratnam School of Strategic and International Studies RSIS , a graduate school and think-tank concentrating on security and, again, very highly regarded both in the region and globally. The move toward a more comprehensive institution will be completed following Prime Minister Lee’s announcement August 2010 that NTU has been entrusted with a new medical school, a joint venture offering a joint qualification with Imperial College London, which has also developed a medical school on what is a predominantly engineering base. Imperial College is now the largest medical school and hospital administrator within the British university medical system. NTU has also gained ground in other areas as we host two out of the five nationally awarded and prestigious Research Centres of Excellence RCEs —the Earth Observatory of Singapore EOS and the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences and Engineering SCELSE . The university is also a partner in one of the other RCEs— Mechanobiology—hosted at the NUS. The RCE scheme itself has promoted the rapid evolution of Singapore into the upper ranks in the world “league” of research in selected areas. For example, in 2007, top level Earth sciences hardly existed in the region, but by attracting world-leading researchers such as Kerry Sieh from California Institute of Technology Caltech Fig. 3 , Paul Tapponnier from Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, and Chris Newhall from the U.S. Geological Survey a “dream team” of tectonicists and volcanologists , together with more than $S200 million in funding for EOS, we have leap-frogged into the premier league of Earth science research and embedded these new disciplines within the university in establishing a new division of Earth and environmental sciences.

Muon tomography: Plans for observations in the Lesser Antilles

The application of muon tomography to monitor and image the internal structure of volcanoes in the Lesser Antilles is discussed. Particular focus is directed towards the three volcanoes that fall under the responsibility of the Institut de Physique du Globe of Paris, namely La Montagne Pelée in Martinique, La Soufrière in Guadeloupe, and the Soufrière Hills in Montserrat. The technological criteria for the design of portable muon telescopes are presented in detail for both their mechanical and electronic aspects. The detector matrices are constructed with scintillator strips, and their detection characteristics are discussed. The tomography inversion is presented, and its distinctive characteristics are briefly discussed. Details are given on the implementation of muon tomography experiments on La Soufrière in Guadeloupe.