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Portable Volcano Monitoring Station for Rapid Response

Description: 

The U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) monitors very-high-threat and high-threat volcanoes in the Cascade Range of Oregon and Washington. CVO's mission is to detect and monitor signs of volcanic unrest and communicate hazards to the public in order to mitigate risk. Often, a critical need during a volcanic emergency is to improve seismic monitoring. Installations of CVO’s permanent and temporary volcano hazard monitoring stations are limited due to their size and weight and require road access or helicopter support for any remote installation. To enable the rapid deployment of seismic stations in remote areas and increase the number of stations that can be deployed in a day, CVO has developed a prototype for a portable real-time seismic station by paring down a temporary seismic station to the essentials and making it as light and transportable as possible. In this design, weight and bulk were reduced by using lithium iron phosphate batteries, a carbon fiber mast, a lightweight waterproof enclosure, and a foldable solar panel. The design allows for establishing real-time telemetry utilizing cellular technology, digital radios, or a combination of both. At roughly 160 lbs, a complete station can be packed into a remote area by a team of four. The ability to rapidly hike in and deploy new stations is an invaluable addition and significant improvement over CVO’s existing temporary seismic cache. This cache of portable stations will increase CVO’s ability to rapidly densify a seismic monitoring network during a period of unrest, using fewer resources.

Session: Network Seismology: Recent Developments, Challenges and Lessons Learned [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/20/2023

Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Brian Meyers

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: 

Authors