Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “seismic activity”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1978

Tidal stresses in the moon

The tidal stresses in a radially heterogeneous moon are calculated numerically as a function of time and location by using the latest moon model obtained from seismic data. Theoretical results are compared with the observed features of deep moonquakes and in particular with those of the most active A sub 1 hypocenter. The results show that (1) the magnitudes of tidal stresses are small, of the order of 1 bar and less, (2) they reach maxima in the seismically active depth range of 600-1200 km, (3) the geographic distribution of moonquake epicenters does not appear to be controlled solely by the highest tidal stresses, and the presence of heterogeneities and weak zones may be important in determining moonquake locations, (4) the occurrence times of moonquakes correlate with one or more of the tidal stress components, and (5) the presence of an ambient tectonic stress of about the same order of magnitude as the tidal stress is necessary to explain the observed reversal in polarity of the A sub 1 moonquakes.

Cheng, C. H.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Combined use of remote sensing and seismic observations to infer geologically recent crustal deformation, active faulting, and stress fields

Characteristic traits for earthquakes associated with strike-slip motion in Central California and the Salton Sea area, as revealed in ground based studies and LANDSAT imagery, were compared. The mapped lineaments are found to be oriented in several dominant directions. One direction is the same as the trend of the San Andreas fault. The other directions differ from area to area and may reflect the stresses of earlier geologic processes. The pattern of lineament orientations is significantly LANDSAT MSS data, SEASAT synthetic aperture radar data, and magnetic field data from the South Mountain area west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania were registered to match each other in spatial position and merged. Pattern recognition techniques were applied to the composite data set to determine its utility in recognizing different rock types and structures in vegetated terrain around South Mountain. With the use of a texture algorithm to enhance geologic features, a classification of the entire area was made. A test of the correlation between SAR tone and texture, LANDSAT tone and texture, and magnetic field data revealed no tone or texture measures linking any two of the original data sets.

Alexander, S. S.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Seismicity, fault plane solutions, depth of faulting, and active tectonics of the Andes of Peru, Ecuador, and southern Colombia

The long-period P waveforms observed for 17 earthquakes in the Peruvian Andes during 1963-1976 are compared with synthetic waveforms to obtain fault-plane solutions and focal depths. The morphological units of the Peruvian Andes are characterized: coastal plains, Cordillera Occidental, altiplano and central high plateau, Cordillera Oriental, and sub-Andes. The data base and analysis methodology are discussed, and the results are presented in tables, diagrams, graphs, maps, and photographs illustrating typical formations. Most of the earthquakes are shown to occur in the transition zone from the sub-Andes to the Cordillera Oriental under formations of about 1 km elevation at focal depths of 10-38 km. It is suggested that the sub-Andean earthquakes reflect hinterland deformation of a detached fold and thrust belt, perhaps like that which occurred in parts of the Canadian Rockies. From the total crustal shortening evident in Andean morphology and the shortening rate of the recent earthquakes it is estimated that the topography and crustal root of the Andes have been formed during the last 90-135 Myr.

Suarez, G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A study of tectonic activity in the Basin-Range Province and on the San Andreas Fault. No. 1: Kinematics of Basin-Range intraplate extension

Strain rates assessed from brittle fracture and total brittle-ductile deformation measured from geodetic data were compared to estimates of paleo-strain from Quaternary geology for the intraplate Great Basin part of the Basin-Range, western United States. These data provide an assessment of the kinematics and mode of lithospheric extension that the western U.S. Cordillera has experienced from the past few million years to the present. Strain and deformation rates were determined by the seismic moment tensor method using historic seismicity and fault plane solutions for sub-regions of homogeneous strain. Contemporary deformation in the Great Basin occurs principally along the active seismic zones. The integrated opening rate across the entire Great Basin is accommodated by E-E extension at 8 to 10 mm/a in the north that diminishes to NW-SE extension of 3.5 mm/a in the south. Zones of maximum lithospheric extension correspond to belts of thin crust, high heat flow, and Quaternary basaltic volcanism, suggesting that these parameters are related through mechanism of extension such as a stress relaxation, allowing bouyant uplift and ascension of magmas.

Eddington, P. K.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The Interpretation of Crustal Dynamics Data in Terms of Plate Interactions and Active Tectonics of the Anatolian Plate and Surrounding Regions in the Middle East

During the past 6 months, efforts were concentrated on the following areas: (1) Continued development of realistic, finite element modeling of plate interactions and associated deformation in the Eastern Mediterranean; (2) Neotectonic field investigations of seismic faulting along the active fault systems in Turkey with emphasis on identifying seismic gaps along the North Anatolian fault; and (3) Establishment of a GPS regional monitoring network in the zone of ongoing continental collision in eastern Turkey (supported in part by NSF).

Toksoz, M. Nafi↗
NASA NTRS1995

Integrated passive/active vibration absorber for multi-story buildings

Passive isolator, active vibration absorber, and an integrated passive/active (hybrid) control are studied for their effectiveness in reducing structural vibration under seismic excitations. For the passive isolator, a laminated rubber bearing base isolator which has been studied and used extensively by researchers and seismic designers is considered. An active vibration absorber concept, which can provide guaranteed closed-loop stability with minimum knowledge of the controlled system, is used to reduce the passive isolator displacement and to suppress the top floor vibration. A three-story building model is used for the numerical simulation. The performance of an active vibration absorber and a hybrid vibration controller in reducing peak structural responses is compared with the passively isolated structural response and with absence of vibration control systems under the N00W component of El Centro 1940 and N90W component of the Mexico City earthquake excitation records. The results show that the integrated passive/active vibration control system is most effective in suppressing the peak structural acceleration for the El Centro 1940 earthquake when compared with the passive or active vibration absorber alone. The active vibration absorber, however, is the only system that suppresses the peak acceleration of the structure for the Mexico City 1985 earthquake.

Lee-Glauser, Gina J.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Moonquakes.

Although the average rate of seismic energy release within the moon appears to be far below that of the earth, over 100 events believed to be moonquakes have been recorded by the two seismic stations installed on the lunar surface during Apollo missions 12 and 14. With few exceptions, the moonquakes occur at monthly intervals near times of perigee and apogee and show correlations with the longer-term (7-month) lunar gravity variations. The repeating moonquakes are believed to occur at not less than 10 different locations. However, a single focal zone accounts for 80 per cent of the total seismic energy detected. This active zone appears to be 600 kilometers south-southwest of the Apollo 12 and 14 sites and deep within the moon. Each focal zone must be small (less than 10 kilometers in linear dimension) and fixed in location over a 14-month period. Cumulative strain at each location is inferred. Thus, the moonquakes appear to be releasing internal strain of unknown origin, the release being triggered by tidal stresses.

Latham, G.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Validating of Atmospheric Signals Associated with some of the Major Earthquakes in Asia (2003-2009)

The recent catastrophic earthquake in Haiti (January 2010) has provided and renewed interest in the important question of the existence of precursory signals related to strong earthquakes. Latest studies (VESTO workshop in Japan 2009) have shown that there were precursory atmospheric signals observed on the ground and in space associated with several recent earthquakes. The major question, still widely debated in the scientific community is whether such signals systematically precede major earthquakes. To address this problem we have started to validate the anomalous atmospheric signals during the occurrence of large earthquakes. Our approach is based on integration analysis of several physical and environmental parameters (thermal infrared radiation, electron concentration in the ionosphere, Radon/ion activities, air temperature and seismicity) that were found to be associated with earthquakes. We performed hind-cast detection over three different regions with high seismicity Taiwan, Japan and Kamchatka for the period of 2003-2009. We are using existing thermal satellite data (Aqua and POES); in situ atmospheric data (NOAA/NCEP); and ionospheric variability data (GPS/TEC and DEMETER). The first part of this validation included 42 major earthquakes (M greater than 5.9): 10 events in Taiwan, 15 events in Japan, 15 events in Kamchatka and four most recent events for M8.0 Wenchuan earthquake (May 2008) in China and M7.9 Samoa earthquakes (Sep 2009). Our initial results suggest a systematic appearance of atmospheric anomalies near the epicentral area, 1 to 5 days prior to the largest earthquakes, that could be explained by a coupling process between the observed physical parameters, and the earthquake preparation processes.

Ouzounov, D. P.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Validation of Atmosphere/Ionosphere Signals Associated with Major Earthquakes by Multi-Instrument Space-Borne and Ground Observations

The latest catastrophic earthquake in Japan (March 2011) has renewed interest in the important question of the existence of pre-earthquake anomalous signals related to strong earthquakes. Recent studies have shown that there were precursory atmospheric/ionospheric signals observed in space associated with major earthquakes. The critical question, still widely debated in the scientific community, is whether such ionospheric/atmospheric signals systematically precede large earthquakes. To address this problem we have started to investigate anomalous ionospheric / atmospheric signals occurring prior to large earthquakes. We are studying the Earth's atmospheric electromagnetic environment by developing a multisensor model for monitoring the signals related to active tectonic faulting and earthquake processes. The integrated satellite and terrestrial framework (ISTF) is our method for validation and is based on a joint analysis of several physical and environmental parameters (thermal infrared radiation, electron concentration in the ionosphere, lineament analysis, radon/ion activities, air temperature and seismicity) that were found to be associated with earthquakes. A physical link between these parameters and earthquake processes has been provided by the recent version of Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling (LAIC) model. Our experimental measurements have supported the new theoretical estimates of LAIC hypothesis for an increase in the surface latent heat flux, integrated variability of outgoing long wave radiation (OLR) and anomalous variations of the total electron content (TEC) registered over the epicenters. Some of the major earthquakes are accompanied by an intensification of gas migration to the surface, thermodynamic and hydrodynamic processes of transformation of latent heat into thermal energy and with vertical transport of charged aerosols in the lower atmosphere. These processes lead to the generation of external electric currents in specific regions of the atmosphere and the modifications, by dc electric fields, in the ionosphere-atmosphere electric circuit. We retrospectively analyzed temporal and spatial variations of four different physical parameters (gas/radon counting rate, lineaments change, long-wave radiation transitions and ionospheric electron density/plasma variations) characterizing the state of the lithosphere/atmosphere coupling several days before the onset of the earthquakes. Validation processes consist in two phases: A. Case studies for seven recent major earthquakes: Japan (M9.0, 2011), China (M7.9, 2008), Italy (M6.3, 2009), Samoa (M7, 2009), Haiti (M7.0, 2010) and, Chile (M8.8, 2010) and B. A continuous retrospective analysis was preformed over two different regions with high seismicity- Taiwan and Japan for 2003-2009. Satellite, ground surface, and troposphere data were obtained from Terra/ASTER, Aqua/AIRS, POES and ionospheric variations from DEMETER and COSMIC-I data. Radon and GPS/TEC were obtaining from monitoring sites in Taiwan, Japan and Italy and from global ionosphere maps (GIM) respectively. Our analysis of ground and satellite data during the occurrence of 7 global earthquakes has shown the presence of anomalies in the atmosphere. Our results for Tohoku M9.0 earthquake show that on March 7th, 2011 (4 days before the main shock and 1 day before the M7.2 foreshock of March 8, 2011) a rapid increase of emitted infrared radiation was observed by the satellite data and an anomaly was developed near the epicenter. The GPS/TEC data indicate an increase and variation in electron density reaching a maximum value on March 8. From March 3 to 11 a large increase in electron concentration was recorded at all four Japanese ground-based ionosondes, which returned to normal after the main earthquake. Similar approach for analyzing atmospheric and ionospheric parameters has been applied for China (M7.9, 2008), Italy (M6.3, 2009), Samoa (M7, 2009), Haiti (M7.0, 2010) and Chile (M8.8, 2010) eahquakes. Results have revealed the presence of related variations of these parameters implying their connection with the earthquake process. The second phase (B) of this validation included 102 major earthquakes (M>5.9) in Taiwan and Japan. We have found anomalous behavior before all of these events with no false negatives. False alarm ratio for false positives is less then 10% and has been calculated for the same month of the earthquake occurrence for the entire period of analysis (2003-2009). The commonalities for detecting atmospheric/ionospheric anomalies are: i.) Regularly appearance over regions of maximum stress (i.e., along plate boundaries); ii.) Anomaly existence over land and sea; and iii) association with M>5.9 earthquakes not deeper than 100km. Due to their long duration over the same region these anomalies are not consistent with a meteorological origin. Our initial results from the ISTF validation of multi-instrument space-borne and ground observations show a systematic appearance of atmospheric anomalies near the epicentral area, one to seven (average) days prior to the largest earthquakes, and suggest that it could be explained by a coupling process between the observed physical parameters and the pre-earthquake preparation processes.

Ouzounov, Dimitar↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mantle Plume Magmatism in Elysium Planitia as Constrained by InSight Seismic Observations

Based on cratering statistics, there has been active volcanism in the last 100 Ma and possibly the last 1 to 10 Ma in both central Elysium Planitia and in the Cerberus Fossae region of south-eastern Elysium. Seismic measurements by the InSight mission show a strong concentration of seismicity in Cerberus Fossae which are interpreted as due to magma transport along dike systems. Together, these observations strongly support the existence of geologically recent and possibly of currently active magmatism in Elysium. InSight seismic observations were also used to construct seismic velocity models for the martian mantle. These models are effectively a regional aver-age of the seismic velocity structure for the Elysium region, where both the InSight lander and most of the measured seismic events are located. These seismic velocity models have been interpreted in terms of the lithospheric thickness and mantle potential temperature. Khan et al. found a lithospheric thickness of 400 to 600 km and a mantle potential temperature of 1325 to 1425 °C. Durán et al. found a lithospheric thickness of ~450 km and a mantle potential tempera-ture of 1375-1475 °C. Drilleau et al. found a thermal lithosphere of 420-660 km and a mantle potential temperature of 1380-1560 °C. In this study, we combine these InSight seismic observations with finite element mantle plume magma production models to place new constraints on the properties of the mantle beneath Elysium Planitia.

Walter S Kiefer↗
NASA NTRS1981

A global tectonic activity map with orbital photographic supplement

A three part map showing equatorial and polar regions was compiled showing tectonic and volcanic activity of the past one million years, including the present. Features shown include actively spreading ridges, spreading rates, major active faults, subduction zones, well defined plates, and volcanic areas active within the past one million years. Activity within this period was inferred from seismicity (instrumental and historic), physiography, and published literature. The tectonic activity map was used for planning global geodetic programs of satellite laser ranging and very long base line interferometry and for geologic education.

Lowman, P. D., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Seismology of the moon and implications on internal structure, origin and evolution.

The objective of the passive seismic experiment is to measure vibrations of the lunar surface produced by all natural and artificial sources of seismic energy and to use these data to deduce the internal structure and constitution of the moon and the nature of tectonic processes which may be active within the moon. Lunar seismic signals are discussed together with the sources of these signals, and aspects of lunar structure and dynamics. Seismic signals from approximately 250 natural events and from two man-made impacts have been recorded during seven months of operation of the two seismic stations installed during Apollo missions 11 and 12.

Ewing, M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

New Perspectives on Active Tectonics: Observing Fault Motion, Mapping Earthquake Strain Fields, and Visualizing Seismic Events in Multiple Dimensions Using Satellite Imagery and Geophysical Data Base

By rapidly alternating displays of SPOT satellite images acquired on 27 July 1991 and 25 July 1992 we are able to see spatial details of terrain movements along fault breaks associated with the 28 June 1992 Landers, California earthquake that are virtually undetectable by any other means.

fields↗
NASA NTRS2001

Seismic Study of the Solar Interior: Inferences from SOI/MDI Observations During Solar Activity

We have continued in collaboration with Dr. Eff-Darwich (University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain) the study of the structure, asphericity and dynamics of the solar interior from p-mode frequencies and frequency splittings. In March 2001, Dr. Eff-Darwich came for 3 weeks visit to CfA. During this visit we completed our work on the inversion of the internal solar rotation rate, and submitted a paper describing this work to the Astrophysical Journal. This paper has been recently revised in response to the referee comments and I expect that it will be accepted for publication very soon. We also have analyzed helioseismic data looking for temporal variations of the solar stratification near the base of the convection zone. We have expanded on the initial work that was presented at the SOHO-10/GONG-2000 meeting (October 2000, Tenerife), and are in the process of writing this up. Substantial progress towards the characterization of high-degree p-modes has been achieved. Indeed, in collaboration Dr. Rabello-Soares (Stanford University), we have gained a clear conceptual understanding of the various elements that affect the leakage matrix of the SOI/MDI instrument. This was presented in an invited talk at the SOHO-10/GONG-2000 meeting (October 2000, Tenerife). Once we will have successfully migrated from a qualitative to a quantitative assessment of these effects, we should be able to generate high-degree p-modes frequencies so crucial in the diagnostic of the layers just below solar surface.

Korzennik, Sylvain G.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Seismic Study of The Solar Interior: Inferences from SOI/MDI Observations during Solar Activity

The principal investigator describes several types of solar research conducted during the reporting period and gives a statement of work to be performed in the following year. Research conducted during the reporting period includes: exhaustive analysis of observational and instrumental effects that might cause systematic errors in the characterization of high-degree p-modes; study of the structure, asphericity and dynamics of the solar interior from p-mode frequencies and frequency splittings; characterizing the solar rotation; Time-Distance inversion; and developing and using a new peak-fitting method for very long MDI time series at low degrees.

Korzennik, Sylvain G.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Seismic Study of the Solar Interior: Inferences from SOI/MDI Observations During Solar Activity

Work on the structure, asphericity and dynamics of the solar interior from p-mode frequencies and frequency splittings was carried out primarily in collaboration with Dr. Eff-Darwich (University of La Laguna, Tenerife). This ongoing collaboration produced new results for the inversion of the internal solar rotation rate and further development in inversion methodologies. It also resulted in inferences on the solar stratification. Substantial progress towards the characterization of high-degree p-modes has been achieved. In collaboration with Drs. Rabello-Soares and Schou (Stanford University), we have gained a clear conceptual understanding of the various elements that affect the leakage matrix of the SOI/MDI instrument. This work has precise implications on the properties and the characterization of the HMI instrument being developed for the SDO mission.

Korzennik, Sylvain G.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Global seismic effects of basin-forming impacts

A Lagrangian computer program is used to study the effects of large impacts on planetary surfaces. More specifically, the global seismic effects for cratering energies of 10 to the 24th and 10 to the 25th J between the Copernicus and Imbrium lunar events are investigated. The phenomenologies for assumed solid and molten planetary interiors are compared. The main results of this investigation are: (1) far-field effects are found to be largely independent of cratering mechanisms, (2) antipodal seismic effects, which are of substantial magnitude, are greatly enhanced by focusing, (3) the most violent activity takes place at significant depth, (4) seismic effects are more pronounced for a molten planet than for a solid one, and (5) tensile failure may occur at depths of tens of kilometers beneath the antipode, or over the entire surface at shallower depths. These results suggest that the unusual terrains antipodal to large planetary basins may have been greatly modified by seismicity generated by the basin-forming impacts, and that the impacts may have brecciated the entire lithospheres of the terrestrial planets as the lithospheres formed and thickened

Hughes, H. G.↗