THE POTSDAM SEISMIC NETWORK SERVES EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND THE COMMUNITY

The Potsdam College Seismic Network consists of seven short period seismic stations in the St. Lawrence Valley and northern Adirondacks. An additional station has been installed at Mt. Arab in the Tupper Lake area and a 3-component short period seismic station has been installed in the basement of the Geology Department in Timerman Hall. The department also has a long period Press-Ewing vertical seismometer in the basement capable of detecting distant earthquakes. The network is located in the Northern New York-Western Quebec Seismic Zone which extends from the Adirondacks northwestward into Western Quebec. This is a zone of significant earthquake activity with very poorly understood geologic and tectonic control. No known large scale crustal feature can explain the distribution of earthquakes in this region. The detection and location of earthquakes by the network may lead to a better understanding of the seismicity of the region.

The Potsdam College Seismic Network provides services in education, research and the general public. During the school year the network is operated, repaired and maintained by SUNY students. They change the records and locate epicenters of local earthquakes by using both analog records and computer software. Seismograms are used for class exercises and undergraduate research projects. Last year two earthquakes, several quarry blasts and a sonic boom were identified because of the network. The network also provides the opportunity to collaborate with other universities and governmental agencies involved in the study of the seismicity of the area. It has led to a close working relationship with Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Canadian Geological Survey and the New York State Geological Survey.