Scientists have deployed a network of seismometers onto Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf in an experiment that will test the instrument’s ability to operate on icy moons in the Solar System.
Scientists have deployed a network of seismometers onto Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf in an experiment that will test the instrument’s ability to operate on icy moons in the Solar System.
Twenty state-of-the-art seismic ‘Nodes’ (the world’s smallest and lightest land seismometers) have been deployed onto the ice shelf around the British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Halley VI Research Station, along with one ‘short period’ (SP) sensor. This is the first time that either of these instruments have been used in Antarctica, an environment which is the closest analogue of an icy moon found anywhere on Earth.
In addition to laying the groundwork for future space science missions, this exciting and novel experiment will also help to understand the floating ice shelf upon which the BAS Halley VI Research Station is located. The team behind the study have already started to gather useful data on seismic vibrations recorded in the ice shelf, which may help to further illuminate the evolution of cracks in the shelf, as well as the ocean conditions beneath. This data will contribute towards understanding the changing nature of the Brunt Ice Shelf which is critical to planning future Antarctic operations.
Read more at British Antarctic Survey
Image: Researchers placing Seismic ‘Nodes’ across the Brunt Ice Shelf. (Credit: Thomas Barningham @ BAS)
