HR: 0800h
AN: G21C-0663    [Abstracts]
TI: Current Arabian Plate Motion From Campaign GPS Measurements in Saudi Arabia: Preliminary Results
AU: * Almuslmani, B
EM: isxba@nottingham.ac.uk
AF: Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy, University of Nottingham University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
AU: * Almuslmani, B
EM: isxba@nottingham.ac.uk
AF: General Directorate of Military Survey, P.O. Box 66470, Riyadh, 11576, Saudi Arabia
AU: Teferle, F N
EM: norman.teferle@nottingham.ac.uk
AF: Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy, University of Nottingham University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
AU: Bingley, R M
EM: richard.bingley@nottingham.ac.uk
AF: Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy, University of Nottingham University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
AU: Moore, T
EM: terry.moore@nottingham.ac.uk
AF: Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy, University of Nottingham University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
AB: Current investigations of the motions of the Arabian and its neighboring plates are primarily based on GPS measurements obtained in the surrounding areas of the Arabian plate, with few stations actually located on the Arabian plate itself in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In order to advance the knowledge of the dynamics of the Arabian plate and its intra-plate deformations, the General Directorate of Military Survey (GDMS), through collaboration with the Institute of Engineering Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG), densified the GPS network in Saudi Arabia, covering nearly two thirds of the tectonic plate. Since July 2002, a network of 32 GPS stations has been established at locations of the Saudi Arabia geodetic network. At all of these GPS stations a concrete pillar has been used as the monument and the locations have been selected in order to give the broadest distribution of observing sites. During 2005, 27 additional GPS stations in the Hejaz and Asser Mountains, and the Farasan Islands, all in south-western Saudi Arabia, have been established, for which the past and future campaign GPS measurements will provide valuable data for investigations of crustal deformations close to the plate boundaries between the Nubia, Somalian and Arabian plates. In this presentation we will show results in the form of velocity field and plate motion estimates based on data from at least three campaigns occupying the initial 32 GDMS GPS network stations, but also from a number of IGS stations in the region. Our reference frame is aligned to ITRF2005 and uses approximately 40 IGS reference frame stations located on all major tectonic plates, e.g. Nubia and Somalia, surrounding the Arabian plate. Furthermore, we apply absolute satellite and receiver antenna phase center models together with newly available GPS products from a recent global re-processing effort.
DE: 1209 Tectonic deformation (6924)
DE: 1229 Reference systems
DE: 1240 Satellite geodesy: results (6929, 7215, 7230, 7240)
SC: Geodesy [G]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting