The PIs request funding to propose to design and test a new type of seafloor strainmeter that will have sensitivity much higher than has been available previously for seafloor use. The PIs will install the sensor on the seafloor and establish its noise floor, response, and sensitivity by observing the solid Earth strain tides, which have an amplitude of approximately 50 nanostrain. Many scientific targets, including slow earthquakes (episodic tremor and slip), volcanic inflation and deflation, mid-plate strain signals, spreading center events, and possible seafloor slide precursors, can be addressed by successfully developing this instrument.
Broader Impacts:
The proposed device has the potential of becoming a standard instrument for a high-quality undersea observatory, allowing real time geodetic measurements and to assess hazards from undersea slides, faults, and volcanoes. Monitoring small tectonic strains in marine areas will provide new data with a precision so far unavailable.
