Scientists from USGS (United States Geological Survey) are installing two new sismômetros more than 8,000 feet – approximately 2.4 km – deep beneath the ice sheet in Antarctica.
The project, carried out during the Antarctic winter, aims to expand the organization’s Global Seismographic Network to improve support and surveillance.
Impact on global geophysical research
In addition to recording large tremors, the new sensors capture long-period waves and high-frequency tremors.
These data are essential for the scientific community to study the ice movementglobal seismicity and the internal structure of the Earth.
Remember:
The project represents an advancement in geophysical research infrastructure, consolidating a partnership spanning more than 60 years of USGS operations in the region.
The data generated by seismometers directly contributes to the global security and increasing response capacity to natural disasters.
Precision technology in the polar environment
Installing these sensors at record depths allows the equipment to operate in one of the quietest and most stable environments on the planet.
Suspended within the Antarctic ice, the devices can detect subtle seismic signals with unprecedented clarity, free from superficial interference.
The operation is the result of a technical collaboration between the USGS Albuquerque Seismological Observatory, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Seismometers are designed to withstand extreme weather conditions. low temperatures and intense pressure from the depths of the polar ice cap.
