Yukon-Northwest Seismograph Network: Broadband seismology in the northern Canadian Cordillera

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The northern Canadian Cordillera, encompassing Yukon and western Northwest Territories, is an ideal natural laboratory for research in observational seismology because of the rich diversity of tectonic structures and earthquake activity taking place in this part of the continent (~130 M>3 earthquakes per year). Unfortunately, current coverage of seismic instrumentation by the Canadian National Seismograph Network is vastly insufficient for the kind of transformative research in seismology that would be afforded by a denser network. This proposal thus seeks funding to support research activities related to the installation and maintenance of a regional network of 10 state-of-the-art broadband seismograph stations in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, referred to as the Yukon-Northwest Seismograph Network (YNSN). In particular, this grant will support expensive annual visits to seismograph station sites accessible by roads and airplanes during peak weather conditions in the summer period. Data provided by the YNSN network will be used to investigate crust and mantle structure beneath the Cordillera and to improve earthquake characterization and tectonic deformation. In particular, the near real-time data transmission will be extremely important for the rapid assessment and dissemination of earthquake information, valuable to local northern communities as well as the mining and petroleum sectors. Importantly, the project will provide unique opportunities for training of highly qualified personnel in all aspects of observational seismology, from site installation to data analysis, throughout the duration of the project. The project also seeks to increase awareness of local communities to Earth Sciences by installing a seismograph station on a school ground wherever possible and by engaging teachers in using the infrastructure as an educational tool.