A Local Seismic Project near the Dalk Glacier Area, Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica: Toward Subice Imaging and Icequake Monitoring

Abstract

Abstract During the 2019–2020 field season of the 36th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition, two seismic arrays were deployed in the Dalk Glacier area of Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica. The arrays consisted of 100 short-period nodal stations and were intended to investigate the physical properties and seismic events in the region, with the goal of enhancing our understanding of the glacier’s structure and dynamics. With these data, we use horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) analysis to estimate the ice thickness. Noise cross-correlation functions and multimode dispersion curves of Rayleigh waves were extracted from the vertical-component ambient noise data to illuminate near-surface glacial structures. Teleseismic events with Mw >5.5 and two typical kinds of icequakes were observed via visual inspection. These initial results improve the understanding of the physical properties of the ice sheet as well as the glacial seismicity in Dalk Glacier.