HR: 1340h
AN: S33B-0324    [Abstracts]
TI: Cooperative Development of the Pakistan Seismic Network System (PSNS)
AU: * Detweiler, S
EM: shane@usgs.gov
AF: US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 United States
AU: Mooney, W
EM: mooney@usgs.gov
AF: US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 United States
AU: McDonald, S
EM: mooney@usgs.gov
AF: US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 United States
AB: We propose to cooperate with the Pakistan Meteorological Department for the design and construction of the new Pakistan Seismic Network System (PSNS) that has been funded by the government of Pakistan. The PSNS will consist of 12-15 broadband stations, 50 short-period stations, and 50 accelerometers. Our role will be to provide technical assistance in site selection, to prepare the Request for Proposals (RFP) from industry, and to evaluate performance. The relative importance of tsunami warnings, national earthquake and landslide hazards, and whether a largely urban or truly national network is envisioned will be determined early in the program. Final placement of stations will take many factors into consideration including proximity to faults and seismic activity, geographic accessibility, the consistency of bedrock, and various cultural or social effects. This cooperation has the potential to lead to the development of a desperately needed tsunami early warning network that could protect the Pakistani coastal population in the event of a natural disaster such as the Dec. 26, 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami. The seismic hazard off the coast of Pakistan is high due to the proximity of the Makran and Sumatra subduction zones, the former of which could trigger tsunamis in Pakistan with heights of 12m within minutes. In addition to monitoring earthquake activity, the PSNS will provide seismic data of interest to the world-wide scientific community for a region in which there is little understanding of the upper crust and mantle. It will furthermore address educational outreach and diplomacy issues by providing training to Pakistani scientists in routine network operation and data processing.
DE: 0468 Natural hazards
DE: 7219 Seismic monitoring and test-ban treaty verification
DE: 7240 Subduction zones (1207, 1219, 1240)
DE: 9320 Asia
SC: Seismology [S]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005