USGS Grant: Operation of the Mid-America Integrated Seismic Network 2020-2024 – University of South Carolina

Notice of Intent to award a cooperative agreement to the University of South Carolina pursuant to the Advanced National

Seismic System (ANSS) and the project entitled “Operation of the Mid-America Integrated Seismic Network – 2020-2024 – USC”.

The main objectives of the agreement will be the operation and maintenance of seismic stations and associated station metadata that meet ANSS standards, ensuring delivery of station waveform data and accurate station metadata to other ANSS networks and ANSS designated archives, adhering to the implementation of ANSS approved software standards to ensure efficient flow of data and information for robust delivery of ANSS products and services and interoperability, producing authoritative catalogs of earthquake source parameters and other ANSS products and services that meet ANSS standards, contributing to the operation and development of the Station Information System (SIS), working with ANSS and the ANSS National Implementation Committee (NIC) toward using or populating SIS for station inventory control and description and maintenance of station metadata and coordinating seismic monitoring activities with ANSS management and ANSS participants. 

The University of South Carolina is uniquely qualified to carry out the objectives as they are the only USGS-supported seismic network in the Southeastern U.S. that includes the epicentral region of the 1886 Charleston, South Carolina earthquake, four sites containing a total of seven nuclear reactors, and areas of reservoir induced seismicity. University of South Carolina has a well-developed network staff that is also of great benefit to this proposed study. The PI has been extensively involved with this effort as a seismic network operator. In addition, specialized equipment is needed for monitoring and has been deployed by the University of South Carolina in the regions of monitoring. Some of the field sensors and central recording and computing equipment is university-owned and would not be available to another source. Furthermore, data from the instruments is transmitted to the universities’ facilities and relocation of the data receiving point and telemetry equipment would be costly and time-consuming.