Seismic Detection in the Inland Plateau of East Antarctica

Abstract

Several international programs to deploy broadband seismic stations over the Antarctic continent were conducted during the International Polar Year (IPY 2007–2008). Antarctica’s Gamburtsev Province (AGAP)/Gamburtsev Mountains Seismic Experiment (GAMSEIS), which was a part of AGAP and the Polar Earth Observing Network (POLENET), contributed greatly to establish a geophysical network in Antarctica. AGAP/GAMSEIS was an internationally coordinated deployment of more than 30 seismographs over the crest of the Gamburtsev Mountains and the areas of Dome-A, -C, and -F. The project provided a detailed information on the crust and mantle structures and, key constraints on the origin of the Gamburtsev Mountains and more broadly on the structure and evolution of the East Antarctic craton and subglacial environment. With the data from GAMSEIS and POLENET, the local and regional seismic signals associated with ice movements, oceanic loadings, and local meteorological variations were recorded in addition to a number of teleseismic events around the globe. The characteristic seismic signals of local origin in the inland plateau of the ice sheet were demonstrated with a capability to investigate subglacial environment, particularly at the marginal areas of the East Antarctic continent.