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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Development of in situ marine seismic and geotechnical instrumentation systems

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6053374
A unique pair of in situ marine geotechnical instrumentation systems, capable of operating unattended for extended periods of time in remote locations, were designed and fabricated, and are currently undergoing testing. The Seafloor Earthquake Measurement System (SEMS) measures the response of marine sediments to strong and moderate seismic activity. The Geotechnically Instrumented Seafloor Probe (GISP) measures the in situ pore pressure in soft marine clays. The two systems have many common characteristics. Both systems consist of two principal subsystems: a seafloor data gathering package and a shipboard command and recording package. The seafloor packages are totally self-contained, and incorporate microprocessor-based electronics which control data collection, processing, and storage. Data collected and stored by the seafloor packages are transmitted on command to the command and recording package by a high-data-rate acoustic telemetry system. This paper describes the design, development, and testing of the Seafloor Earthquake Measurement System and the Geotechnically Instrumented Seafloor Probe. Data are presented and discussed. Advanced concepts for future marine geotechnical instruments are discussed. 7 figures.
Research Organization:
Sandia Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-04-0789
OSTI ID:
6053374
Report Number(s):
SAND-79-0868C; CONF-790805-3
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English