Tests of the broadband borehole seismic system (B³S²) at Scripps IGPP and the Pinon Flat Observatory : October 1994 to June 1995

Abstract

The broadband borehole seismic system (B3S2) is being developed as one component of the Ocean Seismic Network (OSN) Pilot Experiment which will be carried out at the OSN-1 Site off Hawaii in Winter 1998. The other major instruments being developed for the experiment are a Broadband Ocean Bottom Seismometer and a Shallow Buried Broadband Ocean Bottom Seismometer. B3S2 consists of four major components: 1) a borehole sonde with a re-entry guide, Teledyne 54000 broadband seismometer, and REFTEK digitizing system, 2) a seafloor acquisition and recording system (SEABASS), 3) a control vehicle for deploying the sonde in a borehole, and 4) shipboard command and control electronics. The deployment system is very similar to the SEABASS configuration used on LFASE (Stephen eta!, 1994). The purposes of the tests at Pinon Flat were: 1) to integrate the borehole sonde and seafloor and shipboard electronics which had been constructed by different groups: WHOI and SIO/IGPP; 2) test the combined subsystem in a wet borehole environment using actual cables and simulating seafloor conditions; and 3) acquire seismic ambient noise and earthquake data over approximately a three month period for comparison with known stations at the Pinon Flat Observatory.