Collaborative Research: Wabash Valley Seismic Experiment

来自南伊利诺伊大学(SIU)和圣路易斯大学(SLU)的研究人员正在伊利诺伊州和印第安纳州的瓦巴什山谷部署45台宽带地震仪和三个短周期地震阵列。该实验是正在进行的EarthScope项目的一部分，旨在更好地了解瓦巴什山谷地震带(WVSZ)的驱动力，如利用薄弱带的区域岩石圈应力、冰川均衡调整和地幔动力学引起的岩石圈底部牵引力。通过应用各种地震技术，包括体波和面波层析成像、接收器函数、横波分裂和地壳背景地震活动图，这次地震实验将阐明研究区下方的地震结构，并对这一地质谜团的驱动机制以及进一步加深我们对板内地震的理解施加有价值的约束。该项目直接推进了地球望远镜任务，以促进我们对板内地震带动力学的了解，并改善中大陆的地震危险性评估。它允许在西太平洋经济区和其南部的新马德里地震区之间进行更多的定量比较。它进一步促进了SIU和SLU的一名博士生和一名SLU学生的教育，并资助了这两所大学的本科生研究。学生们参与了研究的许多不同方面，从现场工作包括站点安装、服务和数据收集到数据分析和解释。这些学生学习了许多地震分析方法，这些方法使他们能够在EarthScope和其他尖端科学倡议的框架内进行进一步的研究和学习。该项目的PI与位于研究地区的几所高中的科学教师合作。两台地震仪位于学校场地上，学生可以通过显示器查看实时地震数据，并提供从地球望远镜访问教育资源的途径。

Researchers from Southern Illinois University (SIU) and Saint Louis University (SLU) are deploying 45 broadband seismographs and three short-period seismic arrays in the Wabash Valley in Illinois and Indiana. The experiment is part of the on-going EarthScope project and is aimed at better understanding the driving forces of the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone (WVSZ) such as regional lithospheric stresses exploiting a weak zone, glacial isostatic adjustment, and lithospheric basal tractions induced by mantle dynamics. By applying a variety of seismic techniques including body wave and surface wave tomography, receiver functions, shear-wave splitting, and mapping of background crustal seismicity, this seismic experiment will illuminate the seismic structure beneath the study area and impose valuable constraints on driving mechanism for this geologically enigmatic feature as well as further our understanding of intraplate earthquakes.This project directly advances the Earthscope mission to advance our understanding of intraplate seismic zone dynamics and to improve seismic hazard assessments in the midcontinent. It allows for more quantitative comparisons between the WVSZ and the New Madrid Seismic Zone to its south. It furthers the education of a PhD student at SIU and one at SLU as well as sponsors undergraduate research at both institutions. The students are involved in a number of different aspects of the research from the fieldwork comprising station installation, servicing, and data collection to data analysis and interpretation. These students learn a number of seismic analytical methods that point them towards further research and study within the framework of EarthScope and other cutting-edge scientific initiatives. The PIs of the project work with science teachers at several high schools located in the study area. Two seismographs are located on school property, with display for students to view real-time seismic data and provide access to educational resources from Earthscope.