Facility Support: Continued capture of postseismic deformation using GPS instrumentation on the Andaman Islands due to the great 2004 and 2012 earthquakes

1531682 puchakayala2004年节礼日（12月26日）苏门答腊岛附近发生9.3级大地震，造成该地区20多万人伤亡，主要是海啸造成的。这笔赠款支持安达曼群岛上一个五接收器连续运行的GPS网络一年的持续运营和维护。从该网络收集的GPS数据可用于解决关于特大地震后地壳变形的一个基本但尚未解决的争论，即地壳和上地幔的断层余震或粘弹性松弛是否是观测到的地震后瞬态变形的主要驱动力。2004年节礼日地震可以说是历史记录中现代大地测量学研究中最重要的三次地震之一。全球定位系统观测的连续性可导致对地震变形周期和断层行为的先进了解，这对包括美国在内的世界地震活跃地区减轻灾害具有巨大的潜在好处。该全球定位系统网的数据已经并将继续通过联安援助团全球定位系统数据档案免费提供。该网络的运行将涉及与当地学术机构（班加罗尔的JNCASR）的科学家和工作人员的合作。这种支持与美国国家科学基金会促进科学进步的使命是一致的，并且可以通过提高对地震周期的认识和促进健全的地震减灾战略来促进国家的繁荣和福祉

1531682PuchakayalaThis grant supports one year of continued operations and maintenance of a five-receiver, continuously operating GPS network in the Andaman Islands that was established soon after the 2004 Boxing Day (December 26) mega earthquake (Mw 9.3) near Sumatra that resulted in over 200,000 casualties across the region largely resultant the tsunami that was generated. GPS data collected from this network can be used to address a fundamental yet unresolved debate about crustal deformation following very large earthquakes, namely whether fault afterslip or viscoelastic relaxation of the crust and upper mantle are the main driving forces of observed postseismic transient deformation. The Boxing Day 2004 earthquake is arguably one of the three most important earthquakes available for modern geodetic study in the historical record. Continuity of GPS observations can result in advanced knowledge of the earthquake deformation cycle and fault behavior that has tremendous potential benefit for hazards mitigation in seismogenically active areas of the world including the U.S. Data from this GPS network have been and would continue to be made freely available through the UNAVCO GPS Data archive. Operation of the network would involve collaboration with scientists and staff at a local academic institution (JNCASR, Bangalore). This support is congruent with NSFs mission of promoting the progress of science and may advance the national prosperity and welfare through advancing knowledge of the earthquake cycle and promoting sound earthquake hazard mitigation strategies.***