SCEC Award Number 11138 View PDF
Proposal Category Collaborative Proposal (Data Gathering and Products)
Proposal Title Pinon Flat Observatory: Continuous Monitoring of Crustal Deformation
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Frank Wyatt University of California, San Diego Duncan Agnew University of California, San Diego
Other Participants
SCEC Priorities A5, A2, C SCEC Groups Geodesy
Report Due Date 02/29/2012 Date Report Submitted N/A
Project Abstract
 SCEC support covers an important portion of the costs of operating Pinon
Flat Observatory (PFO), as an element in the active monitoring of strain
fluctuations in southern California. PFO continues to produce the
highest-quality continuous crustal deformation data available anywhere,
allowing us to:
(1) Improve our understanding of crustal deformation over time-spans
from hours to years, including coseismic, postseismic, and interseismic
changes; the period 2010-2011 provides strong evidence for substantial
aseismic slip nearby;
(2) Provide independent high-quality data for interpreting records from
combined continuous GPS and borehole strainmeter recordings. PFO's
proximity to the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults gives an unmatched
sensitivity for detecting slip there. The long span of the PFO records
provides a unique basis for identifying and evaluating new signals;
(3) Provide a shared facility for the development of new technologies
and new measurements.
Intellectual Merit Data from the PFO strainmeters provide a unique view of deformations following the El-Mayor/Cucupah and Coyote Creek earthquakes, including possible triggered slip, and a subsequent (posited) year-long aseismic slip event. These data serve to advance our understanding of the mechanics of the earthquake cycle.
Broader Impacts The project continues to provide research infrastructure in the form
of a field location at which different methods can easily be operated and
evaluated. Cooperative programs are the norm.
Exemplary Figure Figure 2
Long period Continuous Strain -- 1985-2012 -- Pinon Flat Observatory.