An Earth science program to
explore the 4D structure of the
North American continent
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
EarthScope
Science and
Education
Advisory
Committee
(ESEC)
EarthScope
Program Director
(NSF)
EarthScope
R&RA
EarthScope Facility Director
EarthScope Facility Executive Committee
(EFEC)
USArray
PBO
SAFOD
(IRIS)
(UNAVCO)
(Stanford)
EarthScope as an NSF/EAR
Science Program
• Goal
– Fundamental
advances in
geoscience
• Science driven
• Research
based
• Peer reviewed
• Product
– Scientific results
• Management Plan
– NSF open program announcement
• Individual research grants
• Collaborative research grants
– Focused research
• External research direction
• Integrative research centers
– Strong partnerships
• USGS, NASA, DOE
• State surveys
• International
Science Goals
Explore the Structure and Dynamics of the North
American Continent
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Structure and evolution of the continent and deep Earth
Earthquake processes and seismic hazards
Magmatic processes and volcanic hazards
Active deformation and tectonics
Continental geodynamics
Fluids in the crust
Exploration and discovery
Requires an Interdisciplinary Approach
First Solicitation
• 151 proposals requesting a
total of $ 45,153,488
• 72 projects reviewed by
panel
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E&O - 15
PBO - 14
Research - 16
SAFOD - 11
USArray - 16
• 9 workshops proposed
• 19 projects funded
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E&O - 2
PBO - 3
Research - 4
SAFOD - 6
USArray - 4
• 6 workshops supported
• ~ $ 3.4 million awarded
Examples of Projects
• E&O
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Earth Live! - The EarthScope Video
Map Tools for EarthScope Science and Education
• PBO
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Optimal Network Geometry for PBO
Understanding Volcanic Sources Through Improved Inversion of Deformation and Gravity Data
• Research
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Seismic Characterization of Core Structure of the SAF using Fault Zone Guided Waves
The Cenozoic History of the Western US - a Data Integration Strategy for EarthScope
• SAFOD
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SAFOD: Mineral Transformations and Patterns
Seismic Tomography and Location Calibration Around the SAFOD site
• USArray
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Towards Characterizing Depth and Lateral Variations of Anisotropy Across the NA Continent
Receiver Reference Models: A Prototype for Automated Production of Data Products
Scientific Questions
• Balanced, timely, “complete” characterization of the
SAFOD volume, including earthquake locations
• Capturing slow earthquakes
• Magmatic system eruption characterization (predictive)
• NRT 4D transform fault plate boundary behavior
• Development of integrated data analyses
• Identification/development of new scientific products
• Identification/development of new science education
tools/modules
• Maximizing PBO and USArray geometry
• Planning FlexArray and campaign GPS deployments
Education and Outreach
• The EarthScope Program and the PI-based educational network require
high degree of coordination
• Maintain the excitement, enthusiasm, and participation of the
educational network community
• Insure that the “integrative link” education and outreach oversight duties
of ESEC (now a FACA) are not lost
• Work with all parties to develop a community driven EarthScope E & O
Program
• Seek appropriate resources to fully develop EarthScope E & O
• Support an EarthScope Education Coordinator in the EarthScope Office
to coordinate E & O across the program
EarthScope as an NSF/EAR Facility
• Goal
– Data in support of EAR
science goals
• Science directed
• Community driven
• Open access
• Product
– Data
• Science-appropriate
• Cutting edge
technology
• Free and open access
• Quality control
• Management Plan
– Oversight and governance
• Coordination and balance
– Equipment Acquisition
• Specification
• Procurement
• Inventory and control
– Operations
• Operation and
maintenance
• Data management
• Technology R&D
– Partnerships
NSF Awards $219 Million Over Five Years for EarthScope
Project: Far-reaching geoscience effort to understand the North
American continent
October 15, 2003
USArray
Facility Components
US Seismic Array
a continental scale seismic array to provide a coherent 3-D image of the
lithosphere and deeper Earth
SAFOD
San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth
a borehole observatory across the San Andreas Fault to directly measure the
physical conditions under which earthquakes occur
PBO
Plate Boundary Observatory
a fixed array of strainmeters and GPS receivers to measure real-time deformation
on a plate boundary scale
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E&O
Education and Outreach
an educational and outreach program to bring the excitement of the exploration
of our continent to the classroom and the public
InSAR
Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar
images of tectonically active regions providing spatially continuous strain
measurements over wide geographic areas.
View within NSF
• Largest undertaking in NSF-EAR
• 1st MREFC project for Earth Science
• Only NSF-requested MREFC funded in 4 yrs
• Full partnership w/USGS
• Distributed facility
Test-case for the management and execution of NSFfunded large science projects
EarthScope Data
All data from the permanent components of EarthScope
will be available without restriction and in real time
This includes data from:
– PBO backbone network and clusters - GPS and strain
– ANSS (USArray permanent) and Bigfoot
– SAFOD Observatory instruments
All data collected with EarthScope instruments, along
with full metadata, will be archived and available
through a unified EarthScope Data Portal
EarthScope is underway
So far:
• Management structure developed & reviewed
• Project Execution Plan (PEP) developed & reviewed
• EarthScope Facility Director and some staff hired
• Within 5% of its schedule and milestones
• Within 1% of its budget
• Drill bit is turning, GPS & seismic data available
• $3,400,000+ in proposals have been funded
• New RFP is out w/ $4,000,000 available
• E&O Proposal in process of submission
Activities
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San Simeon Earthquake Response
SAFOD Characterization Studies
Array Operations Facility Approved
EarthScope Facility office established
EarthScope Data Availability
• 10 EarthScope stations are operational and are recording
data
– 4 ANSS stations in: Wyoming (1), Nevada (1), Texas (1), Alaska
(1)
– 6 GPS stations in: Colorado (1) and in response to San Simeon
Earthquake (5)
• Data flow and data availability
– ANSS seismic data: via telemetry in real-time to IRIS DMC,
available to public starting in May
– GPS data: via satellite, manual download, and cellular telephone
modem (end of April) to PBO, available now
EarthScope
Facility
Phases
“The expected operational lifespan of this project is 15 years after construction is
complete in FY 2007.”
–National Science Foundation Budget Request FY 2005
EarthScope