Search

In this study we test whether principal components of the strain rate and stress tensors align within Switzerland. We find that 1) Helvetic Nappes line (HNL) is the relevant tectonic boundary to define different domains of crustal stress/surface strain rates orientations and 2) orientations of T- axes (of moment tensor solutions) and long-term asthenosphere cumulative finite strain (from SKS shear wave splitting) are consistent at the scale of the Alpine arc in Switzerland. At a more local scale, we find that seismic activity and surface deformation are in agreement but in three regions (Basel, Swiss Jura and Ticino); possibly because of the low levels of deformation and/or seismicity. In the Basel area, deep seismicity exists while surface deformation is absent. In the Ticino and the Swiss Jura, where seismic activity is close to absent, surface deformation is detected at a level of ~2 10E−8/yr (~6.3 10E−16/s)., Scientific Reports, 8, ISSN:2045-2322

Earthquake early warning (EEW) systems’ performance is driven by the trade-off between the need for a rapid alert and the accuracy of each solution. A challenge for many EEW systems has been the magnitude saturation for large events (Mw>7) and the resulting underestimation of seismic moment magnitude. In this study, we test the performance of high-rate (1Hz) GPS, based on seven seismic events, to evaluate whether long-period ground motions can be measured well enough to infer reliably earthquake predominant periods. We show that high-rate GPS data allow the computation of a GPS-based predominant period (τg) to estimate lower bounds for the magnitude of earthquakes and distinguish between large (MW>7) and great (MW>8) events and thus extend the capability of EEW systems for larger events. It is also identified the impact of the different value of the smoothing factor α on the τg results and how the sampling rate and the computation process differentiates τg from the commonly used τp.

GPS and strong-motion sensors are broadly used for the monitoring of structural health and Earth surface motions, focusing on response of structures, earthquake characterization and rupture modeling. Most studies have shown differences between the two systems at very long periods (e.g. >100sec). The aim of this study is the assessment of the compatibility of GPS and strong-motion records by comparing the consistency in the frequency domain and by comparing their respective displacement waveforms for several frequency bands. For this purpose, GPS and strong-motion records of 23 collocated sites of the Mw9.0 Tohoku 2011 earthquake were used to show that the consistency between the two datasets depends on the frequency of the excitation, the direction of the excitation signal and the distance from the excitation source., Smart Structures and Systems, 2015

Monitoring surface deformation in real-time help at planning and protecting infrastructures and populations, manage sensitive production (i.e. SEVESO-type) and mitigate long-term consequences of modifications implemented. We present RT-SHAKE, an algorithm developed to detect ground motions associated with landslides, sub-surface collapses, subsidences, earthquakes or rock falls. RT-SHAKE detects first transient changes in individual GPS time series before investigating for spatial correlation(s) of observations made at neighbouring GPS sites and eventually issue a motion warning. In order to assess our algorithm on fast (seconds to minute), large (from 1cm to meters) and spatially consistent surface motions, we use the 1Hz GEONET GNSS network data of the Tohoku-Oki MW9.0 2011 as a test scenario. We show the delay of detection of seismic wave arrival by GPS records is of ~10 seconds with respect to an identical analysis based on strong-motion data and this time delay depends on the level of the time-variable noise. Nevertheless, based on the analysis of the GPS network noise level and ground motion stochastic model, we show that RT-SHAKE can narrow the range of earthquake magnitude, by setting a lower threshold of detected earthquakes to MW6.5-7, if associated with a real-time automatic earthquake location system., Geophysical Journal International, 214 (2), ISSN:0956-540X, ISSN:1365-246X

We show that high-rate GPS can have a vital role to play in near real-time monitoring of potentially destructive earthquakes. We do this by investigating the potential of GPS in recording strong ground motions from earthquakes in Switzerland and Japan. The study uses finite-fault stochastic ground motion simulation based on Fourier amplitude spectra and duration models previously developed for both countries, allowing comparisons in terms of both Fourier and time domain characteristics (here the Peak Ground Velocity, PGV). We find that earthquakes of magnitude Mw>5.8 can be expected to be recorded by GPS in real-time at 10 km distance, i.e. their Fourier spectrum exceeds the noise of the instruments enough to be used in strong motion seismology. Post-processing of GPS time series lowers the noise and can improve the minimum observable magnitude by 0.1-0.2. As GPS receivers can record at higher rates (> 10 sps), we investigate which sampling rate is sufficient to optimally record earthquake signals and conclude that a minimum sampling rate of 5 sps is recommended. This is driven by recording events at short distances (below 10 km for magnitude 6 events and below 30 km for magnitude 7 events). Furthermore, the Maximum Ground Velocity derived from GPS is compared to the actual PGV for synthetic signals from the stochastic simulations and the 2008 Mw=6.9 Iwate earthquake. The proposed model, confirmed by synthetic and empirical data, shows that a reliable estimate of PGV for events of about magnitude 7 and greater can be basically retrieved by GPS in real-time and could be included for instance in ShakeMaps for aiding post-event disaster management.

Reduced near-infrared reflectance observed in September 1973 in Skylab images of the western flank of Mt. Etna has been interpreted as an eruption precursor of the January 1974 eruption. Until now, it has been unclear when this signal started, whether it was sustained and which process(es) could have caused it. By analyzing tree-ring width time-series, we show that the reduced near-infrared precursory signal cannot be linked to a reduction in annual tree growth in the area. However, comparing the tree-ring width time-series with both remote sensing observations and volcano-seismic activity enables us to discuss the starting date of the pre-eruptive period of the 1974 eruption., Scientific Reports, 7, ISSN:2045-2322

© 2015 IEEE. We evaluate the potential of troposphere models derived from ground meteorological data (pressure, temperature, and relative humidity) and Global Positioning System (GPS) data to improve InSAR measurements and models derived from them. We test this approach on an ERS-2/Envisat data set collected during a transient surface deformation episode that occurred from January to July 2005 in the San Gabriel Valley, southern California, USA. We find that the interferometric phase change observed over the corresponding period cannot be solely attributed to hydrological uplift associated with rising groundwater levels but also includes a significant contribution from differential tropospheric delay due to differing quantities of water vapor in the troposphere on the two SAR observation dates. We show that, if the tropospheric phase contribution is mistakenly interpreted as the range change associated with changes in groundwater storage, both the surface displacement and the groundwater storage coefficient may be overestimated by up to 30%. This method could be applied in real time where meteorological measurements are available near one or more GPS permanent site(s).

Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 345–348, ISSN:0012-821X, ISSN:1385-013X

SUMMARY We develop a methodology to derive fast and reliable peak ground velocity (PGV) ShakeMaps from kinematic finite-source models of earthquake rupture inferred from geodetic static displacements. The temporal variations in slip on the fault are based on the simple assumption that larger slip takes longer time to accumulate. Assuming constant rupture and slip velocities, slip is distributed in time to produce a variable rise-time model. Sensitivity tests on finite-source models of the 1994 Mw 6.7 Northridge, California earthquake show that distribution of peak ground velocities derived using 3.0 km s −1 rupture velocity and 76.8 cm s −1 slip velocity matches, to a large extent, observed PGV, suggesting that rapid assessment of strong ground motions derived from geodetic data can aid emergency response, particularly in areas with sparse seismic station coverage.

Geophysical Journal International, 202 (3), ISSN:0956-540X, ISSN:1365-246X

International audience; The Azores archipelago is located near the triple junction between the Nubian (NU), North America (NA), and Eurasia (EU) plates. It is characterized by a relatively strong seismicity and active volcanism. The best estimate of the current plate velocities in the area over geologic timescales comes from the NUVEL1-NNR model (DeMets et al.) . At the geodetic timescale, plate motion models (Altamimi et al., Sella et al.) including GPS, DORIS, SLR and VLBI data currently do not yet include data from the Azores. In the framework of a research project focused on the seismotectonics and volcanotectonics of São Miguel island, we have analysed GPS data collected there in 1993, 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2002. Our analysis determines both the velocity in the REVEL (Sella et al.) reference frame of São Miguel and its internal deformation. The comparison of the 2000 and 2002 coordinates indicates that São Miguel accommodates moderate WNW-ESE extension at a rate slower than 5 mm yr-1.

Geophysical Journal International, 199, ISSN:0956-540X, ISSN:1365-246X

We compute a series of finite-source parameter inversions of the fault rupture of the 2004 Parkfield earthquake based on 1 Hz GPS records only. We confirm that some of the co-seismic slip at shallow depth (, Scientific Reports, 4, ISSN:2045-2322

Tectonophysics, 599, ISSN:0040-1951, ISSN:1879-3266

Recently, co-seismic seismic source characterization based on GPS measurements has been completed in near- and far-field with remarkable results. However, the accuracy of the ground displacement measurement inferred from GPS phase residuals is still depending of the distribution of satellites in the sky. We test here a method, based on the double difference (DD) computations of Line of Sight (LOS), that allows detecting 3D co-seismic ground shaking. The DD method is a quasi-analytically free of most of intrinsic errors affecting GPS measurements. The seismic waves presented in this study produced DD amplitudes 4 and 7 times stronger than the background noise. The method is benchmarked using the GEONET GPS stations recording the Hokkaido Earthquake (2003 September 25th, Mw = 8.3)., Scientific Reports, 1, ISSN:2045-2322

[1] In the paper ‘‘Large scale ground deformation of Etna observed by GPS between 1994 and 2001’’ by N. Houlie et al. (Geophysical Research Letters, 33, L02309, doi:10.1029/2005GL024414, 2006) the correct volume rate of the Mogi source estimated from the GPS data of Mt. Etna from 1994 to 2001 is 27 10 m/yr instead of 60 10m/yr as reported in paragraph 14, page 3. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 33, L20309, doi:10.1029/2006GL026892, 2006

International audience; [1] We have processed thirty Global Positioning System (GPS) campaigns carried out at Etna from 1994 to early 2001 between the last two main flank eruptions of the Mt. Etna (Sicily, Italy). This rest period allowed us to investigate the deep magma plumbing system of the Mt. Etna. The temporal dynamics of twenty-three points observed three times or more were analyzed. All the time series show a first-order linear trend during the five years period. It suggests that the volcano was continuously deformed by the action of a deep source while a discrete activity of the volcano was observed at the summit. We have interpreted the residual deformation field as the result of an major eastward motion of the eastern flank of the volcano.

[1] We processed 79 days of GPS data collected at four stations on Miyakejima volcano (Japan) before and during its eruption in 2000. This period includes a strong seismic swarm (27 June to 8 July) followed by five eruptions (8 and 14–15 July, 10, 18, and 29 August). Surface motion is strong during the seismic swarm, then remains almost steady during eruptions. However, during each eruption, we found anomalous values of the LC (ionosphere free) double differences, especially on 18 August, with a peak of 0.6 cycles (i.e., an apparent 290 mm increase of the satellite-station range). We cannot explain these anomalies by temporary ground displacements during the events. Instead, we propose that they are due to path delay effects in the hot volcanic plume. By adapting a seismic tomography algorithm, the refractivity anomaly and the inferred temperature in the plume is mapped in time and space.

Eruptions can produce not only flows of incandescent material along the slopes of a volcano but also ash plumes in the troposphere [Sparks et al., 1997] that can threaten aircraft flying in the vicinity [Fisher et al., 1997]. To protect aircraft, passengers, and crews, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the World Meteorological Organization created eight Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAAC, http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/vaac.html) around the globe with the goal of tracking volcanic plumes and releasing eruption alerts to airports, pilots, and companies. Currently, the VAAC monitoring system is based mostly on the monitoring systems of any local volcano observatories and on real-time monitoring of data acquired by meteorological satellites.