Fall 2018
September 28, 2018
Speaker: J. R. Skok, SETI Institute
Title: Seeking Signs of Life in Ancient Martian Hot Springs
October 5, 2018
Speaker: Margaret Avery, UC Berkeley
Title: Linking long-term paleomagnetic observations at Earth’s surface to the dynamics of the outer core using numerical geodynamo simulations
October 12, 2018
Speaker: Sylvain Barbot, Earth Observatory of Singapore
Title: Inside the subduction earthquake factory
October 19, 2018
Speaker: S. Mostafa Mousavi, Stanford University
Title: Application of machine learning techniques for seismic signal processing
October 26, 2018
Speaker: Virginia Gulick, SETI Institute/NASA Ames
Title: Gully Formation on Mars: Did Water Play a Role?
November 2, 2018
Speaker: Jared Kluesner, USGS
Title: 3D insights into deformation, fluid-flow, and submarine slope failure in the Santa Barbara Channel<
November 9, 2018
Speaker: Wes Thelen, USGS
Title: The Extraordinary 2018 eruption of Kilauea Volcano
November 16, 2018
Speaker: Maitrayee Bose, Arizona State University
Title: How extraterrestrial dust grains constrain the early history of the Solar Nebula
November 30, 2018
Speaker: Biondo Biondi, Stanford
Title: Opportunities and challenges of fiber-optic seismology for permanent monitoring of subsurface processes
Graphic rendering of seismic data recorded under Stanford University campus by our DAS array. Graphics are courtesy of Stamen Design, San Francisco, CA
Abstract: Continuous seismic monitoring can be a crucial tool to provide early warning of potentially hazardous conditions developing in the subsurface, as well as monitoring the flow of natural resources such as water and hydrocarbons. However, the cost of continuous monitoring is a significant obstacle to its widespread application. Distributed Acoustic Sensors (DAS) arrays have the potential of enabling cost-effective continuous and spatially dense seismic monitoring over large areas. By leveraging the preexisting fiber infrastructure deployed for telecommunication purposes, we could build large seismic arrays under densely populated cities around the world.
Starting the beginning of September 2016, we have been continuously recording seismic data as sensed by a fiber-optic cable placed under Stanford University campus and measured by an OptaSense DAS system. Our “Stanford Fiber Seismic Observatory (S-FSO)” experiment aims at studying the feasibility of using a DAS array that record data using a fiber-optic cable “free-floating” in a PVC conduit buried in the ground. Our array has recorded hundreds of seismic events. Analysis of these events shows that the signal is highly repeatable and correlates well with the data recorded by a broadband seismometer located on campus. Furthermore, by analyzing the S-FSO data we have identified a few weak local events that were not catalogued in the USGS on-line earthquake catalogue. We are also using ambient (mostly anthropogenic) noise interferometry to estimate and monitor subsurface properties under the array. Data analysis has prompted us to develop new theoretical models of the data recorded by the fiber to better understand the recorded signal and the interferometric data.
December 7, 2018
Speaker: Dustin Schroeder, Stanford
Title: Laying the Foundation for Europan Radio Glaciology
