STS-2 Seismometers Research Articles

Extracting Long-Period Surface Waves and Free Oscillations Using Ambient Noise Recorded by Global Distributed Superconducting Gravimeters

AbstractInversion of internal structure of the Earth using surface waves and free oscillations is a hot topic in seismological research nowadays. With the ambient noise data on seismically quiet days sourced from the gravity tidal observations of seven global distributed superconducting gravimeters (SGs) and the seismic observations for validation from three collocated STS-1 seismometers, long-period surface waves and background free oscillations are successfully extracted by the phase autocorrelation (PAC) method, respectively. Group-velocity dispersion curves at the frequency band of 2–7.5 mHz are extracted and compared with the theoretical values calculated with the preliminary reference Earth model. The comparison shows that the best observed values differ about ±2% from the corresponding theoretical results, and the extracted group velocities of the best SG are consistent with the result of the collocated STS-1 seismometer. The results indicate that reliable group-velocity dispersion curves can be measured with the ambient noise data from SGs. Furthermore, the fundamental frequency spherical free oscillations of 2–7 mHz are also clearly extracted using the same ambient noise data. The results in this study show that the SG, besides the seismometer, is proved to be another kind of instrument that can be used to observe long-period surface waves and free oscillations on seismically quiet days with a high degree of precision using the PAC method. It is worth mentioning that the PAC method is first and successfully introduced to analyze SG observations in our study.

Local Tectonic Deformations and Nearby Contemporaneous Earthquakes

Records of an IRIS broadband seismic station (AAK) deployed in the Tien Shan area were studied. An STS-1 seismometer made it possible to investigate ground motion velocity in the range of a few minutes. The result was to identify asymmetric anomalies in seismic noise that differ from Earth tidal variations. These indicate the effects of local tectonic processes during some time intervals. Several large earthquakes occurred near the seismic station during the days that the anomaly was observed. The seismic noise anomalies and statistically significantly earthquakes were found to be coincident with increased amplitudes of air pressure variations.

Improvements in seismic resolution and current limitations in the Global Seismographic Network

SUMMARYStation noise levels play a fundamental limitation in our ability to detect seismic signals. These noise levels are frequency-dependent and arise from a number of physically different drivers. At periods greater than 100 s, station noise levels are often limited by the self-noise of the instrument as well as the sensitivity of the instrument to non-seismic noise sources. Recently, station operators in the Global Seismographic Network (GSN) have deployed several Streckeisen STS-6A very broad-band borehole seismometers. These sensors provide a potential replacement for the no-longer-produced Streckeisen STS-1 seismometer and the GeoTech KS-54 000 borehole seismometer. Along with showing some of the initial observational improvements from installing modern very broad-band seismometers at depth, we look at current limitations in the seismic resolution from earth tide periods 100 000 s (0.01 mHz) to Nyquist at most GSN sites (0.02 s or 50 Hz). Finally, we show the potential for improved observations of continuously excited horizontal Earth hum as well as the splitting of very long-period torsional modes. Both of these observations make use of the low horizontal noise levels which are obtained by installing very broad-band borehole seismometers at depth.

Spatial and Temporal Structure of Global Low-Frequency Seismic Noise

The paper aims to study in detail the structure of seismic noise before and after the Sumatra mega-earthquake with M = 9.1 of December 26, 2004. The records by the IRIS seismic stations in different regions of the world, equipped with STS-1 seismometers providing ground motion velocity recording in a broad range of periods from 0.2 to 360 s with the use of standard equipment, form the empirical base of the research. In the records of each station, intervals free of earthquakes, interference from manmade impacts, and noise enhancement due to cyclone propagation were selected. The amplitude of steady seismic noise in the range from 40 to 360 s, not complicated by the recordings of earthquakes and effects of meteorological origin, is in the order of 20 to 40 nm, which characterizes the actual resolution of a broadband seismic station. The noise bursts in the ranges 40–80, 80–160, and 160–320 s differ by the shape and time of occurrence suggesting different sources of their generation. The absence of the correlation between the noise recordings at the neighboring seismic stations spaced 102–103 km apart indicates the influence of local processes. The noise reflects turbulent processes in the Earth’s atmosphere, whereas the exponential growth of the noise with the increase of the oscillation period is consistent with A.N. Kolmogorov’s theory of locally isotropic turbulence in the atmosphere. The noise amplitude after the Sumatra mega-earthquake with M = 9.1 of December 26, 2004 increased by a factor of 1.5–2 in January 2005 compared to January 2004, irrespective of the location of the seismic station.

Low frequency seismic noise before and after the Sumatra megaearthquake December 26, 2004

The paper aims at detailed study of the structure of seismic noise before and after the Sumatra mega-earthquake with M = 9.1 of December 26, 2004. The records by IRIS seismic stations in the different regions of the world, equipped with STS-1 seismometers providing ground motion velocity recording in a broad range of periods from 0.2 to 360 s with the use of standard equipment, form the empirical base of the research. In the records by each station, the intervals free of the earthquakes, interference of manmade impacts, and noise enhancement due to cyclone propagation were selected. The noise bursts in the ranges 40-80, 80-160, and 160-320 s differ by the shape and time of occurrence suggesting different sources of their generation. The absence of the correlation between the noise recordings at the neighboring seismic stations spaced 102 - 103 km apart indicates the influence of local processes. The noise reflects turbulent processes in the Earth’s atmosphere whereas the exponential growth of the noise with the increase of the oscillation period is consistent with A.N. Kolmogorov’s theory of locally isotropic turbulence in the atmosphere. The noise amplitude after the Sumatra mega-earthquake with M = 9.1 of December 26, 2004 has increased by a factor of 1.5-2 in January 2005 compared to January 2004 irrespective of the location of a seismic station.

Low-Frequency Seismic Noise Before and After the Sumatra Megaearthquake of December 26, 2004

The paper aims at detailed study of the structure of seismic noise before and after the Sumatra mega-earthquake with M = 9.1 of December 26, 2004. The records by IRIS seismic stations in the different regions of the world, equipped with STS-1 seismometers providing ground motion velocity recording in a broad range of periods from 0.2 to 360 s with the use of standard equipment, form the empirical base of the research. In the records by each station, the intervals free of the earthquakes, interference of manmade impacts, and noise enhancement due to cyclone propagation were selected. The noise bursts in the ranges 40-80, 80-160, and 160-320 s differ by the shape and time of occurrence suggesting different sources of their generation. The absence of the correlation between the noise recordings at the neighboring seismic stations spaced 102 - 103 km apart indicates the influence of local processes. The noise reflects turbulent processes in the Earth’s atmosphere whereas the exponential growth of the noise with the increase of the oscillation period is consistent with A.N. Kolmogorov’s theory of locally isotropic turbulence in the atmosphere. The noise amplitude after the Sumatra mega-earthquake with M = 9.1 of December 26, 2004 has increased by a factor of 1.5-2 in January 2005 compared to January 2004 irrespective of the location of a seismic station.

Verification of the seismic P-wave velocities under Moho boundary: Central Poland case study, LUMP profile

The tectonic settings investigated by several seismic projects in previous research targeting the structure in Central Poland mainly focused on the Earth’s crust. In this paper, we present P-wave velocity verification in the uppermost mantle beneath LUMP profile towards SSE-NNW. Using recordings of 36 DATA-CUBE recorders from ca. 300–490 km far earthquake in coal mine “Janina” in southern Poland, we calculated travel times to verify P-wave velocity below the Moho boundary from previous studies. It shows that a significantly lower mean velocity value should be used for the upper mantle while counting these offsets of travel times in the SSE-NNW direction than that used on previous profiles. We present two possible models: first, the most simple one that fits the observed first arrivals, and the second with a low-velocity layer beneath the Moho boundary. In both cases, we used a priori crustal model focusing only on P-wave velocity in the uppermost mantle. Both of them significantly improved adjustment of travel times to the observed data. To evaluate the tendency of adopting too high velocities beneath the Moho, we used also 11 broadband stations, Reftek 151-121 “Observer”, from “13 BB Star” passive experiment and 6 STS-2 seismometers from permanent stations of the Polish Seismological Network (PLSN).

Interdependent quality control of collocated seismometer and accelerometer

A new method for the interdependent quality control (IQC) of a collocated seismometer and accelerometer is presented. It is useful for seismic stations, where broadband seismometer and strong-motion accelerometer are installed side by side. The number of this type of seismic stations is growing and so is the number of activities associated with the quality control. With the IQC, the collocated seismometer and accelerometer are controlled with the single procedure. It is based on the calculation of transformation matrix which numerically transforms the detection of a seismic signal of accelerometer to the space of detection of seismometer. This matrix contains a lot of information; among them were also the “orientation misalignment,” “sensitivity corrections,” and two indicators, from which the quality of data and the error of systems can be identified. The procedure uses seismic signals, detected by both systems. The self-noise of commercial accelerometers is usually higher than the average seismic noise; therefore, a moderate shaking of the ground is needed. This type of shaking can come from stronger regional earthquakes. In this article, a mathematical description of the procedure is introduced first; then, a few examples with real data are presented. A critical error was discovered with the help of this algorithm. It cannot be identified by testing signals, injected from an acquisition unit into the STS-2 seismometer. There is also an example of serious orientation misalignment between a seismometer and an accelerometer.

UPPER MANTLE SEISMIC VELOCITY OF BAGHDAD SEISMIC STATION USING TRAVEL TIMES-DISTANCE CURVES OF BODY WAVES

Travel time-distance curves are plotted using seismic events recorded by Q330 broadband seismic station in Baghdad. Three component STS-2 seismometers record 132, 97 events represented the first arrival of Pn, Sn, respectively for the period between 2010 to January 2015. The minimum and maximum hypocentral distance for these events are 129 and 650 Km, respectively, their magnitudes range between (3.5 – 6.4) on the Richter scale. The velocity of the upper mantle has been calculated using travel time-distance curve, the velocity values are 8.13,4.49 km/s for Pn, Sn, respectively. The standard deviation (SD) are 1.211, 1.556 and Correlation coefficient R2 = 0.9965, 0.9982 for Pn and Sn respectively, VP/VS-ratio beneath seismic Baghdad station is 1.807.

Comparative analysis of the characteristics of domestic and foreign broadband seismometers with capacitive transducers

A family of seismometers has been developed with capacitive transducers that convert the relative displacement between the inertial mass and the base of the device into an electric signal. The seismometers have high sensitivity and a unified electronic circuit, and they can be rather easily manufactured, installed, and calibrated. Mass production of these instruments looks promising. To assess the possibility of using these seismometers as substitutes for imported counterparts, a comparative analysis was carried out to study the performance of an SM-3E broadband sensor with a capacitive transducer and imported STS-2 and CMG-6T seismometers. Seismic recordings of these three instruments mounted on the same pedestal were statically analyzed in the time and frequency domains.

Systematic monitoring of instrumentation health in high-density broadband seismic networks

Broadband seismometer data are essential for the development of seismological studies such as those investigating earthquake sources and the Earth’s structure. However, previous studies have revealed that the metadata describing these data can possibly be contaminated by instrumentation response errors that are often difficult to recognize from visual waveform checks. Herein, we report on the development of a systematic method of assessing seismometer conditions when recording ground motions at a period range of 50 to 200 s in observation networks whose station intervals are smaller than 200 km. The method is based on comparisons between teleseismic surface wave records at a target station and those at multiple surrounding reference stations, from which we calculate three index parameters and evaluate in situ instrumentation conditions, including amplitude and phase responses against input ground motions. In our experiments, we applied the proposed method to F-net broadband seismometers covering the Japanese Islands, where station intervals are approximately 100 km. This allows us, through calculations of the index parameters, to evaluate instrumentation health at each station at least once every 60 days. Using our proposed method, we found that approximately 75% of the evaluated index parameters distributed well around the standard values, and for most examined broadband seismometers, response anomalies are not detected at the period range of 50 to 200 s. However, instrumentation errors, such as gain decrease over the evaluated periods and gradual changes in amplitude and phase frequency responses (sometimes covering several years) were identified at a few stations. Additionally, overdamping errors at the STS-1 seismometers, which experience significant amplitude and phase frequency response variations around the 360-s corner, appear to have been common at several stations. In contrast, STS-2 seismometers appear to have functioned more reliably than STS-1 seismometers. We developed a method to evaluate broadband seismometer instrument conditions by comparing teleseismic surface waves observed at a target station with those at multiple surrounding stations. It is believed that the systematic evaluation of instrumentation health using our method will enhance the operation of seismic networks, and allow researchers to eliminate contaminated data before conducting various data analyses.

Comparison of the performances of different spring and superconducting gravimeters and STS-2 seismometer at the Gravimetric Observatory of Strasbourg, France

Since 1973, the Gravimetric Observatory of Strasbourg (France) is located in an old fort named J9 and has been the place for various gravity experiments. We present a comparison of the noise levels of various instruments that are or were continuously recording at J9, including the LaCoste&Romberg Earth-Tide Meter ET-5 (1973–1985), the GWR Superconducting Gravimeter TT-T005 (1987–1996), the Superconducting Gravimeter C026 (since 1996), the STS-2 seismometer (since 2010) and the LaCoste&Romberg ET-11 (continuously since October 2010). Besides these instruments, the J9 Observatory has hosted temporary gravity experiments with the Micro-g LaCoste Inc. gPhone-054 (May–December 2008 and May–September 2009) and the Micro-g LaCoste Inc. Graviton-EG1194 (June–October 2011). We include also in the comparison the absolute gravimeter Micro-g FG5 #206 which is regularly performing absolute gravity measurements at J9 since 1997 and a spring gravimeter Scintrex CG5 which recorded at J9 between March 2009 and February 2010. We present the performances of these various instruments in terms of noise levels using a standardized procedure based on the computation of the residual power spectral densities over a quiet time period. The different responses to atmospheric pressure changes of all the instruments are also investigated. A final part is devoted to the instrumental self-noise of the SG C026, STS-2 and L&R ET-11 using the three channel correlation analysis method applied to 1-Hz data.

Performance of an Optical Seismometer from 1 Hz to 10 Hz

Abstract We compare the performance of four different instruments that measure the vertical component of motion of an inertial mass—an STS1 seismometer, an STS2 seismometer, a superconducting gravity meter, and an optical seismometer—operating inside the mine at the Black Forest Observatory near Schiltach in southwest Germany. Simultaneous, collocated operation of these sensors offers an opportunity to test the calibration, response, and performance of each instrument. We estimate noise floors from the tidal bands to 10 Hz. We note small nonlinearities in the suspension of the STS1, which are normally suppressed by analog signal processing and feedback or, in the optical version, by digital signal processing alone. The results demonstrate that the optical seismometer utilizing an STS1 suspension can provide observatory‐quality data over a bandwidth from tidal frequencies to at least 10 Hz and over a large dynamic range.

Search for latitudinal variation of spectral peak frequencies of low-frequency eigenmodes excited by great earthquakes

Continuous waveform records of STS-1 seismometers of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) and superconducting gravimeters of the Global Geodynamics Project (GGP) obtained during the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman, the 2010 Chile, and the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquakes are examined to search for latitudinal variations of the spectral peak frequencies of 0S0, 1S0, and 0S2. No latitudinal variation is determined. The observed spectral peak frequencies are identical to those of the Preliminary Reference Earth Model (PREM).

Detecting global atmospheric oscillations by seismic instruments

We briefly overview the periodic atmospheric motions in the period range from 1 h to a few dozen days. It is shown that many oscillations recorded by vertical seismometers, gravimeters, strainmeters, and tilt-meters reflect these motions, namely, the harmonics of the thermal atmospheric tide, free waves in the atmosphere, and Madden-Julian oscillation in the atmosphere-ocean system. The state of the art in studying the effects of these motions on seismic activity is described. On the basis of yearlong measurements by a three-channel Streckeisen STS2 seismometer at Collm (51.3° N, 13.0° E), susceptibility of the horizontal movements of the seismometer’s pendulum to the periodic atmospheric motions with periods exceeding 2 days is explored for the first time. The wavelet and Fourier spectra of the signals recorded by both horizontal channels and the vertical channel of the seismometer demonstrate common features which coincide with the spectral traits of the simultaneous variations in the surface air pressure. These features are associated with the atmospheric planetary-scale Rossby waves and Madden-Julian oscillation.

Determination of a seismometer’s generator constant, azimuth, and orthogonality in three-dimensional space using a reference seismometer

To accurately predict the performance of a seismometer, knowledge of its key parameters is required. We present a new method that requires a single reference instrument to estimate some of the important parameters of the seismometer, such as the ratio of the generator constants, the orthogonality deviation, and the rotation in space and in the horizontal plane with regards to the reference instrument. The procedure is performed in the three-dimensional spaces where the Euler rotation theorem is applied in order to define a transformation, which is then used to transform the detection of the reference seismometer as well as the detection of the instrument under test. The estimated transformation matrix is defined as an upper triangular matrix, where its elements contain the information regarding the parameters of the tested seismometer, which are then evaluated using the Euler angles. The new method has been verified on a pair consisting of two STS-2 seismometers and on a pair consisting of one CMG-3T and one STS-2 seismometer.

Influence of high-latitude geomagnetic pulsations on recordings of broadband force-balanced seismic sensors

Abstract. Seismic broadband sensors with electromagnetic feedback are sensitive to variations of surrounding magnetic field, including variations of geomagnetic field. Usually, the influence of the geomagnetic field on recordings of such seismometers is ignored. It might be justified for seismic observations at middle and low latitudes. The problem is of high importance, however, for observations in Polar Regions (above 60° geomagnetic latitude), where magnitudes of natural magnetic disturbances may be two or even three orders larger. In our study we investigate the effect of ultra-low frequency (ULF) magnetic disturbances, known as geomagnetic pulsations, on the STS-2 seismic broadband sensors. The pulsations have their sources and, respectively, maximal amplitudes in the region of the auroral ovals, which surround the magnetic poles in both hemispheres at geomagnetic latitude (GMLAT) between 60° and 80°. To investigate sensitivity of the STS-2 seismometer to geomagnetic pulsations, we compared the recordings of permanent seismic stations in northern Finland to the data of the magnetometers of the IMAGE network located in the same area. Our results show that temporary variations of magnetic field with periods of 40–150 s corresponding to regular Pc4 and irregular Pi2 pulsations are seen very well in recordings of the STS-2 seismometers. Therefore, these pulsations may create a serious problem for interpretation of seismic observations in the vicinity of the auroral oval. Moreover, the shape of Pi2 magnetic disturbances and their periods resemble the waveforms of glacial seismic events reported originally by Ekström (2003). The problem may be treated, however, if combined analysis of recordings of co-located seismic and magnetic instruments is used.

On the evaluation of displacement and deformation in tidal waves according to digital records of STS-2 and KSESh-R seismometers

A procedure for eliciting displacements in tidal waves from seismograms of broadband velocimeters like STS-2 and KSESH-R and the evaluation conversion of these displacements into vertical or volumetric deformation is proposed.

Post-seismic relaxation following the 2009 April 6, L’Aquila (Italy), earthquake revealed by the mass position of a broad-band seismometer

Post-seismic relaxation is known to occur after large or moderate earthquakes, on time scales ranging from days to years or even decades. In general, long-term deformation following seismic events has been detected by means of standard geodetic measurements, although seismic instruments are only used to estimate short timescale transient processes. Albeit inertial seismic sensors are also sensitive to rotation around their sensitive axes, the recording of very slow inclination of the ground surface at their standard output channels is practically impossible, because of their design characteristics. However, modern force-balance, broad-band seismometers provide the possibility to detect and measure slow surface inclination, through the analysis of the mass position signal. This output channel represents the integral of the broad-band velocity and is generally considered only for state-of-health diagnostics. In fact, the analysis of mass position data recorded at the time of the 2009 April 6, l′Aquila (MW= 6.3) earthquake, by a closely located STS-2 seismometer, evidenced the occurrence of a very low frequency signal, starting right at the time of the seismic event. This waveform is only visible on the horizontal components and is not related to the usual drift coupled with the temperature changes. This analysis suggests that the observed signal is to be ascribed to slowly developing ground inclination at the station site, caused by post-seismic relaxation following the main shock. The observed tilt reached 1.7 × 10-’5 rad in about 2 months. This estimate is in very good agreement with the geodetic observations, giving comparable tilt magnitude and direction at the same site. This study represents the first seismic analysis ever for the mass position signal, suggesting useful applications for usually neglected data.

Some Possible Causes of and Corrections for STS-1 Response Changes in the Global Seismographic Network

The Global Seismographic Network (GSN) (Figure 1) plays a key role in providing seismic data for global earthquake monitoring ( e.g. , Benz et al. 2005), earthquake science ( e.g. , Tsai et al. 2005), and studies of Earth structure ( e.g. , Dalton et al. 2008). One of the key GSN design goals is to “provide high fidelity digital recordings of all teleseismic ground motions (adequate to resolve at or near ambient noise up to the largest teleseismic signals over the bandwidth from free oscillations (10-4 Hz) to teleseismic body waves (up to approximately 15 Hz))” (GSN ad hoc Design Goals Subcommittee 2002). To help meet this goal, Streckeisen STS-1 seismometers were deployed at 80 GSN stations. Some of the GSN sensors have been deployed for more than 25 years. Several recent studies (Davis et al. 2005; Ekstrom et al. 2006; Davis and Berger 2007) have examined the question of overall calibration of the GSN. Ekstrom et al. (2006) indicated that a number of sites showed anomalous responses and suggested a gradual decay in the sensitivity. We have investigated the anomalous responses at several GSN sites. At least some of the problems observed by Ekstrom et al. (2006) may be attributed to humid air leaking into the feedback electronics of the STS-1 seismometers, which produces lower than normal sensitivities near the long-period corner of the instrument (360 seconds period). It appears that even though the feedback electronics boxes are designed to be sealed, water vapor can penetrate their interior after they have been exposed to highly humid seismometer vault air for extended periods. Highly humid air was also found to be present inside some STS-1 bell-jars (especially horizontal instruments) after loss of vacuum, resulting in corrosion and leakage between electrical conductors in connectors. This also resulted in a lowered …