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(Re)Discovering the seismicity of Antarctica: A new seismic catalog for the southernmost continent

July 31, 2024

We apply a machine learning (ML) earthquake detection technique on over 21 yr of seismic data from on‐continent temporary and long‐term networks to obtain the most complete catalog of seismicity in Antarctica to date. The new catalog contains 60,006 seismic events within the Antarctic continent for 1 January 2000–1 January 2021, with estimated moment magnitudes (⁠Mw
⁠) between −1.0 and 4.5. Most detected seismicity occurs near Ross Island, large ice shelves, ice streams, ice‐covered volcanoes, or in distinct and isolated areas within the continental interior. The event locations and waveform characteristics indicate volcanic, tectonic, and cryospheric sources. The catalog shows that Antarctica is more seismically active than prior catalogs would indicate, examples include new tectonic events in East Antarctica, seismic events near and around the vicinity of David Glacier, and many thousands of events in the Mount Erebus region. This catalog provides a resource for more specific studies using other detection and analysis methods such as template matching or transfer learning to further discriminate source types and investigate diverse seismogenic processes across the continent.

Publication Year 2024
Title (Re)Discovering the seismicity of Antarctica: A new seismic catalog for the southernmost continent
DOI 10.1785/0220240076
Authors Andres F. Peña Castro, Brandon Schmandt, Jenny Sha Nakai, Richard C. Aster, Julien Chaput
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Seismological Research Letters
Index ID 70257016
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Volcano Science Center