Tide-induced microseismicity in the Mertz glacier grounding area, East Antarctica

International audience The deployment of a seismic network along the Adélie and George V coasts in East Antarctica during the period 2009–2012 provides the opportunity to monitor cryoseismic activity and to obtain new insights on the relationship between tidal cycles and coastal glacier dynamics. He...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Barruol, Guilhem, Cordier, Emmanuel, Fontaine, Fabrice R., R., Bascou, Jerôme, Legrésy, Benoit, Lescarmontier, Lydie
Other Authors: Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire GéoSciences Réunion (LGSR), Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris), Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans (LMV), Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand (OPGC), Université Blaise Pascal - Clermont-Ferrand 2 (UBP)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Blaise Pascal - Clermont-Ferrand 2 (UBP)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'études en Géophysique et océanographie spatiales (LEGOS), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Research School of Earth Sciences ANU, Canberra (RSES), ANU College of Science Canberra, Australian National University (ANU)-Australian National University (ANU)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 2013
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Online Access:https://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01236143
https://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01236143/document
https://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01236143/file/Barruol_Icequakes_Mertz_Glacier_Antarctica_GRL2013.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL057814
Description
Summary:International audience The deployment of a seismic network along the Adélie and George V coasts in East Antarctica during the period 2009–2012 provides the opportunity to monitor cryoseismic activity and to obtain new insights on the relationship between tidal cycles and coastal glacier dynamics. Here we focus on records from a seismometer located on a rocky outcrop in the vicinity of the grounding line of the 35 km broad Mertz glacier, a major outflow of this region. We detect numerous icequakes (50,000 events within 10 months and up to 100 events/h) and demonstrate their clear tidal modulation. We suggest that they result from ice friction and fracturing around the rocky peak and from the glacier flexure in response to the falling and rising tides at its grounding area. We propose that such icequake monitoring could be used as a climate proxy since grounding lines are subject to migrate with sea level changes.