SCEC Award Number 15185 View PDF
Proposal Category Individual Proposal (Data Gathering and Products)
Proposal Title The SCEC Portable Broadband Instrument Center
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Jamison Steidl University of California, Santa Barbara
Other Participants
SCEC Priorities 6a, 1c, 5a SCEC Groups Seismology, GMP, USR
Report Due Date 03/15/2016 Date Report Submitted 04/05/2016
Project Abstract
 The ability for SCEC to respond rapidly to a major southern California earthquake with the deployment of seismographs in the near-source region was a catalyst for the creation of the PBIC over 20 years ago, and remains an important capability of SCEC seismology infrastructure. In between major earthquake sequences, the PBIC equipment provides for the ability to conduct individual PI driven research experiments. The PBIC has now phased out the older generation of data acquisition equipment and is in the process of trying to modernize its instrument pool. The new PBIC instrumentation currently consists of 5 modern IP-based 6- or 8-channel data acquisition systems capable if real-time data transmission to regional networks or to UCSB, and low-noise accelerometers capable of recording high frequency micro-seismicity from local earthquakes down to Magnitude 1.0, yet remaining on-scale up to +/- 4g strong ground motions. This new equipment is network ready and when combined with a 4G cellular radio, allows for integration directly with SCSN regional network operations. These stations have proven to be dependable and require very little maintenance. In the last year we have been testing new sensor technology that could replace current 6-channel dual sensor deployment systems with a single sensor capa-ble of broadband to strong ground motion, from 10 Seconds to 100 Hz.
Intellectual Merit The portable instrument center contributes to the SCEC research priorities in many ways. It helps improve the accuracy of locations by densification of the regional network, providing data that will lead to improvements in the community velocity model and community fault models. It improves our understanding of strong ground motions, including the variability and causes of damage during the aftershock sequences of large earthquakes, by providing a pool of RAMP instruments that can be deployed within 24 hours of a significant earthquake in southern California. It has also provided individual researchers with equipment to search for and improve the imaging capability of tremor activity, and the ability to examine fault damage and healing through trapped wave experimental deployments.
Broader Impacts The educational impact of the PBIC is demonstrated by the number of undergraduate and graduate student participants in field deployments, and in the routine maintenance and operations of the PBIC. UCSB continues to use undergraduate and graduate students in the deployment and maintenance of the stations, many at UCSB, but also at other institutions within California. Giving the students hands-on experience in how the data is collected is an important part of the education of future geophysicists, especially in a time when data is so readily available via the Internet without any knowledge of what is involved in the data collection process. In addition, the number of women and minority students previously and currently involved in the PBIC program is significant. Outreach to K-12 students has always been an important part of the PBIC program, with the “make your own earthquake” (MYOE) demonstration developed initially through SCEC, now being used at institutions across the country.
Exemplary Figure Figure 3. Testing New Sensor Technology: PBIC deployment of new optical geophone technology from Silicon Audio to investigate the ability to record both broadband motions as well as strong ground shak-ing, covering the 10 Second to 100 Hz frequency band, with a single sensor. Photo Credit: Paul Hegarty (UCSB).