Moored Systems Designed to Sense Deep Ocean Earthquakes

Abstract

The ability to predict earthquakes and tsunamis is becoming increasingly important as world population continues to grow in high-density coastal metropolitan areas. Earthquakes which occur in and near undersea subduction zones where the earth’s crust slides under continental masses generate highly destructive tsunamis. Deep ocean buoy systems and sensor implantation techniques are being developed to obtain seismic data from the earth’s crust in water depths of 6000 m. For the first time, deep-sea drilling, high-resolution seismic sensors, and long-term, deep-ocean mooring technology are being combined to provide systems which continuously monitor earthquake activity in the deep ocean. Such systems provide vital seismic research information to the scientific community.