SGER - Seismometers on CORKS: Design Plans

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

Some future IODP and borehole observatory science will likely involve the addition of various geochemical, biological, and geophysical sensors to CORKs. This program will investigate design requirements for the addition of very low frequency geophones or MEMS seismometers to CORKs and will research data acquisition strategies and technologies for both autonomously powered and cable-powered CORK seismic instrumentation. The seisCORKs could ultimately prove helpful for conducting offset VSPs long after CORK installation and for acquiring "time-lapse" VSPs that may be able to document hydrologically-driven changes related to slow crustal deformation or variations in in situ pressure conditions as a result of drilling. SeisCORKs could also eventually be used for monitoring microearthquakes, conducting crosshole tomographic experiments, and completing coincident hydrologic and seismic measurements. Ongoing studies of the hydrogeology of the Juan de Fuca crust are the most immediate potential application of seisCORK technology. The project has broader implications for IODP and ORION/OOI science and represents a potential expansion of the capabilities of well-tested borehole instrumentation to provide alternate types of data. The program will produce a report on the feasibility and design requirements for seisCORKs.