The contribution of the seismic station “Severnaya Zemlya” to the study of arctic seismicity

Abstract

At present, a relevant task consists in understanding the seismicity of the European Arctic sector in general and the Barents-Kara region in particular. Due to the small number of seismic stations installed in the Arctic region our understanding of the seismicity of the Arctic is still not properly investigated. However, as a consequence of the operationalisation of the seismic station SVZ Severnaya Zemlya on the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago since 2016, it has become possible to record and process an increased number of seismic events. Data from the Arkhangelsk seismic network were compared with a map of the spatial distribution of earthquake epicentres in the Barents-Kara region and adjacent waters for 2017–2018 created by various seismological agencies. The distribution of the number of earthquakes by magnitude and location registered by the Arkhangelsk seismic network for 2012–2018 are presented. The greatest number of earthquakes is associated with the Gakkel, Knipovich and Mohn Ridges, while the lowest number is associated with the St. Anne trough We compared the number of earthquakes recorded by the Arkhangelsk seismic network in 2017–2018 with those recorded by the Severnaya Zemlya station in the same period. The increased number of recorded earthquakes indicates the importance of opening the Severnaya Zemlya station in Arctic region. The microseismic background level was considered and charts drawn up comparing the daily power spectra of SVZ for the “best” and the “worst” months in terms of seismogram quality. Using an earthquake recorded in the eastern part of the Gakkel ridge as an example, the effective processing of the earthquake record in the WSG software package including the operation of the new SVZ station is demonstrated.