Universidad Aut

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Universidad Autónoma de Santo DomingoFacultad de
CienciasInstituto Sismológico Universitario
17th Caribbean Geological Conference

• The Past, Present, and Future of Seismology in
  the Dominican Republic
• Ing. Rafael Pujols
• rafaelpujols_at_hotmail.com

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Objectives

• Provide an overview of the national seismic
  network of the Dominican Republic
• Discuss its history and evolution
• Describe current instrumentation
• Outline ongoing collaborations
• Discuss our plans for the future

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Outline

• Founding of the Instituto Sismológico
  Universitario (ISU)
• Descriptions of seismic stations installed in
• 1948
• 1984
• 1996
• 1998
• 2002
• Collaboration with institutions in the Dominican
  Republic
• International collaborations

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The Founding of ISU

• ISU was founded on the 26th of February 1948
• It was created following a magnitude 8.1
  earthquake that occurred on August 4, 1946
• ISUs first director was Father Joseph Lynch
• Two three-component stations were installed in
  1948 one short-period and one long-period
  instrument

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• Seismograph installed in 1948

Short-period Sprengnether seismograph, 1948
Short-period seismogram, 1970
Long-period Sprengnether seismograph
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Seismic Stations Installed in 1984

• The map (right) shows the 1984 stations
• The 1984 stations were installed with the support
  of the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of
  Columbia University

Santiago
Nagua
San Fco.
Sabana Gde. De Boya
Repeater Hato Mayor
Repeaer Cotui
Romana
Juan Dolio
Central Station Sto. Dgo.

• Teledyne Geotech Model S13 sensors were used in
  this network (left)
• These data formed the basis of Dr. William
  McCanns PhD research at Lamont

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Seismic Stations Installed in 1996

• Three short-period, vertical-component,
  telemetered stations were installed. Each
  station consisted of one
• Kinemetrics SS1 Ranger sensor
• Kinemetrics TH-11 enclosure
• Monitron analog radio
• Teledyne Geotech analog helicorder

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ISU Seismic Network 1996
Hato
Bani
SDD
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ISU Network 1998
Moca
Cabrera
San Fco.
Sanchez
Samana
Villa Rivas
Bonao
Cotui
Monte Plata
Villa Altagracia
Map showing the locations of stations in the San
Francisco network
Telemetry Field Station
Central Recording Station
Data Aquisition System
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Accelerograph Network 1998

• Digitizer Kinemetrics Altus K2
• Sensor Kinemetrics FBA 23
• Triggered recording
• 6MB PCMCIA card
• Power from the electrical grid, with
  12-volt, 7 amp-hour battery backup

Puerto Plata
Santiago
Samana
San Juan
Santo Domingo
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ISU Network 2002

• Six short-period, vertical-component stations
• Geotech S13J sensors
• Viseis 64-channel digitizer at ISU.
• Software DSPA64 and Smartquake.
• Monitron UHF NBFM analog radios.
• Broadband, three-component KS2000.
• Geotech DL-24 digitizer.

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Collaborations with Institutions in the Dominican
Republic

• CNE (National Emergency Management Commission)
• Defensa Civil (Civil Defense Authority)
• SEOPC (Ministry of Public Works and
  Transportation)
• CDEEE (Electricity Production and Distribution
  Cooperative)
• DGM (National Directorate of Mining and Minerals)
• CODIA (a professional society of engineers,
  architects, and surveyers)
• Private businesses
• Universities

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International Collaborations
Puerto Rico Seismic Network Universidad
Complutense Madrid The National University of
Mexico (UNAM) The University of Texas at
Austin and others
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The Puerto Rico Seismic Network
Earthworm Data Aquisition Display
Realtime Internet Seismograms
http//midas.uprm.edu/waveforms/welcome.html
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Project GEOPRICO-DO 2005
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The Future of ISU

• Improvements to Infrastructure
• Rehabilitate the stations that are currently not
  working
• Replace stations that were vandalized and stolen
• Collaborate with the PRSN to install and maintain
  broadband stations in Punta Cana and Samaná, in
  the eastern Dominican Republic.
• Collaborate with the USGS to install and maintain
  a broadband station near the center of the island
  of Hispaniola.
• Install three broadband stations in the Dominican
  Republic as part of the ISU Seismic Network One
  in the north and two in the south.
• Convert the vertical-component, short-period
  stations at Hato Mayor and Montecristi to three
  components.
• Install a new three-component, short-period
  station in Pedernales.

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The Future of ISU

• Improvements to Operations
• Train additional personnel to maintain the
  network and its stations.
• Seek support from an international agency to
  obtain software training for seismic analysts at
  ISU.
• Improve our data analysis system
• Make ISUs waveform data available to the public
  via the internet
• Improve ISUs quality control procedures to
  ensure that the data are of consistently high
  quality.
• Other improvements
• Send students to study seismology outside the
  Dominican Republic, then return.
• Construct a new building to house ISU.

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Muchas Gracias.