SCEC Award Number 12221 View PDF
Proposal Category Individual Proposal (Data Gathering and Products)
Proposal Title SCEC Portable Instrument Center Upgrade
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Jamison Steidl University of California, Santa Barbara
Other Participants
SCEC Priorities 6d, 1c, 5a SCEC Groups Seismology, GMP, USR
Report Due Date 03/15/2013 Date Report Submitted N/A
Project Abstract
 The PBIC, established in 1991 by Prof. Ralph Archuleta, has provided a "pool" of digital seismic recording equipment for use in post earthquake response and on individual PI driven research experiments within southern California for the last two decades. The PBIC is currently managed at the Earth Research Institute (ERI) by Dr. Jamison Steidl with assistance from undergraduate student laboratory assistants from the department of geological sciences and electrical and computer engineering. The ability for SCEC to respond rapidly to a major southern California earthquake with the deployment of seismographs in the near-source region was the catalyst for the creation of the PBIC and has been a critical asset of SCEC earthquake research community following major earthquake sequences. This has been highlighted recently by the successful deployment of PBIC equipment in the 2010 El Mayor–Cucapah earthquake as well as the 2008 shakeout experiments along the southern San Andreas. Other PBIC successful RAMP deployments occurred in conjunction with the 2004 Parkfield and 2003 San Simeon earthquakes, as well as the four major earthquake sequences in the previous decade (1992 M6.1 Joshua Tree and M7.3 Landers, 1994 M6.7 Northridge, and 1999 M7.1 Hector Mine). The ability to conduct individual PI driven research experiments in between these major earthquake sequences using PBIC equipment has been another very important component of the PBIC program. One of the main goals of the PBIC has been to facilitate research in the earthquake community by providing readily accessible seismic monitoring stations for deployment in the southern California region.
Intellectual Merit In addition to the RAMP deployments following major earthquake sequences in southern California, the PBIC has provided instruments for experiments by SCEC researchers working on problems of site response, source physics, trapped wave studies, and most recently tremor detection and deep fault zone imaging. These studies contribute to a better understanding of the earthquake process, and improve our ability to predict and mitigate the effects on the built environment.
Broader Impacts Since it's inception, the PBIC has been involved in educating undergraduate and graduate students on the operation of seismic equipment, and the collection and processing of seismic data. These days this education far too often consists of downloading data from the internet, and many undergraduate geophysics and seismology PhD's today have never deployed a seismic station. The PBIC has provided this opportunity to dozens of undergraduate and graduate students who have had the opportunity to work with the PBIC equipment and data. In addition, because the PBIC program relies heavily on undergraduate lab assistants, the number of women and minority students previously and currently involved in the PBIC program has been significant.
Exemplary Figure Figure 3. UCSB’s “Make Your Own Earthquake” activity at a March 2012 Franklin Elementary School Outreach Activity where the whole 6th grade class makes an earthquake.
Linked Publications

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