Antalith Seismic Reflection Program at Central West Antarctica Camp (CWA)

Anandakrishnan OPP 9612536 Abstract This award supports analysis of seismic data from the central part of West Antarctica. The use of broadband seismometers to detect and record teleseismic earthquakes (so-called passive seismology) is a relatively cost effective way of determining physical parameters of the continental crustal and underlying upper mantle. These data can extend the results from reflection and refraction seismic programs to regional scales and place useful constraints on the interpretation of the reflection and refraction data. The method of Receiver Function analysis will be applied to the passive-seismic data and will be used to determine crustal thickness and velocities at Central West Antarctica camp (CWA). Detailed reflection and refraction seismic profiles collected at CWA will be compaped to the passive- seismic results. Next, passive-seismic data from STC, a site 150 km from CWA, will be analyzed and the results correlated to CWA. Regional trends will be identified and interpreted for their tectonic significance. In addition to analysis of teleseismic data, this analysis takes advantage of data from an array of seismometers (deployed for a microearthquake study of glacier movement) that was near the active seismic program study area.