The Nevada Seismological Laboratory’s 2020 M6.5 Monte Cristo Range, Nevada earthquake sequence rapid seismic deployment and data availability

Jayne M. Bormann, Emily Morton, Ken Smith, Graham M. Kent, Will Honjas, & Gabe Plank

Published August 14, 2020, SCEC Contribution #10602, 2020 SCEC Annual Meeting Poster #061 (PDF)

The Nevada Seismological Laboratory (NSL) installed 8 temporary seismic stations following the 15 May 2020 Mw 6.5 Monte Cristo Range (MCR) earthquake. The mainshock and resulting aftershock sequence occurred in an unpopulated and sparely instrumented region of the Mina Deflection in the Central Walker Lane, ~50km west of Tonopah, Nevada. The 8 temporary stations supplement observations from NSL’s permanent seismic network, providing azimuthal coverage and near-field recordings beginning 1-3 days after the mainshock. We expect the deployment to remain in the field until May 2021. NSL initially attempted to acquire the MCR deployment data via cellular telemetry; however, unreliable cellular coverage forced NSL to make a quick conversation to microwave telemetry within the first week of the sequence to achieve continuous real-time acquisition. Through July 2020, the MCR deployment has captured near-field records of 3 aftershocks greater than ML 5 and >25 ML 4-4.9 events.

Here we present details regarding the MCR deployment station installation, instrumentation, and waveform availability. We provide these details in combination with a data availability from NSL’s permanent seismic network and partner seismic networks within the region to create a comprehensive summary of MCR sequence waveform data. NSL’s MCR temporary and permanent station waveform data are available in near real-time via IRIS. Derived earthquake products, such as NSL’s earthquake catalog and phase picks, are available via the ANSS ComCAT. We expect these data to be useful for continued study of the MCR sequence and constraining crustal and seismogenic properties of the Mina Deflection and Central Walker Lane.

Key Words
Monte Cristo Range Earthquake, Walker Lane, Nevada, temporary seismic deployment

Citation
Bormann, J. M., Morton, E., Smith, K., Kent, G. M., Honjas, W., & Plank, G. (2020, 08). The Nevada Seismological Laboratory’s 2020 M6.5 Monte Cristo Range, Nevada earthquake sequence rapid seismic deployment and data availability. Poster Presentation at 2020 SCEC Annual Meeting.

Related Projects & Working Groups
Seismology