Here are some of the articles that have been recently posted to the PASSCAL website:

Nature Magazine Marks Transportable Array Milestone

A November 5th article in the prestigious journal Nature discusses a major milestone in the Transportable Array project. In her article "US seismic array eyes its final frontier," Nature's Alexandra Witze writes

On Maine’s rugged coast, just north of the tourist town of Boothbay, an underground seismometer is listening for earthquakes. Engineers activated it on 26 September, completing the US$90-million Transportable Array, an ambitious effort to blanket the contiguous United States with a moveable grid of seismic monitors ... "As the array has moved, the whole picture of what’s under North America has gotten much sharper," says Andy Frassetto, a seismologist at the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (EarthScope) in Washington DC, which operates the stations.

Batteries for Year Round Polar Programs

Rechargeable batteries:

Rechargeable batteries are used for projects using solar and/or wind charging systems. EPIC's Polar Group has used SunXtender AGM batteries by Concord succesfully for many deployments. These batteries, aside from being reliable, offer several advantages. They are sealed and non-spillable, which makes then safer and easier to handle in the field; they have a low self discharge rate, which is important for a low power system, with extended periods of time between charges (arctic conditions); and they are exempt of DOT HazMat requirements (49 CFR Section 173.159) provided that they are shipped in their original package or in a package that satisfies the requirements of 49 CFR 173.159(d).

Geode Datalogger

GEODE 24-CHANNEL IN-FIELD SEISMOGRAPH.

System consists of one 24-channel Geodes, with two built-in high-speed connections to interface with other Geodes and a PC-compatible controller or the StrataVisor NZ seismograph.

Suitable for reflection, refraction, downhole, crosshole, surface wave, and tomography surveys, and seismic monitoring.

EarthScope/EPIC profiled in the Socorro Newspaper

 

The August 16th, 2018 edition of Socorro's El Defensor Chieftain featured a cover story describing the EarthScope/EPIC located at New Mexico Tech. Reporter John Larson's piece says "Tucked away on a hilltop in the backyard of Tech’s campus is the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Portable Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere Instrument Center – EarthScope/EPIC for short – the largest facility of its kind in the world. 

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Lodging Information

Links for hotel/motel, dining and travel options: 

Socorro hotel-guides.us

Visit Socorro - Hotels and Lodging 

Trip Advisor

If you would like additional information or you require assistance in making arrangements, please feel free to contact our office at (575) 835-5070. Our business hours are M-F, 8:00am - 5:00pm MST.

All-In-One Systems

All-In-One systems combine seismic sensors with their dataloggers in a single, easily-deployed unit. Because these units do not require numerous cables to connect a sensor to its datalogger, they avoid many serious problems associated with cables, such as incorrect connector types, broken and chewed wires, or damaged pins. They are also much easier to deploy than conventional sensor/datalogger combinations. Their use can dramatically cut down on both station installation times and the number of required personnel. Their smaller size can also be very beneficial for deployments using volume-limited transportation methods, such as sea vessels.

Because Nodes and SmartSolos both utilize lithium batteries that operate above the 100Wh threshold, shipping of more than 2 units produced by either vendor will require special handling, including: packing, marking and documentation. Special handling, if needed, will require the assistance of a certified dangerous goods shipper.

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Experiments using EarthScope/EPIC Nodes

To view EPIC supported experiments using nodes, please visit the schedule calendar. Once there, select the date range of interest,  "Nodes (3 Channel)" as the instrument type, and then click "Fetch the Calendar" to browse the schedule.

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Sensor Comparison Chart

Sensor Manufacturer Power Corner
Frequency
Damping Sensitivity Poles and Zeroes               STS-2 Streckeisen 30 ma @ 12vdc 0.0083 Hz 0.707 critical 1500 v/m/s *Depends on generation:
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Dataloggers

A datalogger (also know as data acquisition system or DAS) is piece of electronic equipment which converts an input into a digital time series representation. Immense care should be taken when setting up and programming a datalogger. It is highly recommended that only experienced users program their own dataloggers and all others should consult a EPIC staff member for assistance.

While specific procedures and programming details will vary between the various types of dataloggers, there are several things that hold true when working with any datalogger.

The datalogger should be: