Detection capability of earthquakes recorded at Syowa Station, Antarctica, from 1987 to 1993

Abstract

Phase readings of teleseismic earthquakes at Syowa Station (69.0°S, 39.6°E), Antarctica have been carried out since 1967 by use of analog records of three-component short-and long-period seismometers. Seismic observations and phase readings have been conducted by the wintering members for geophysics of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE). The arrival times of P-waves have been reported to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the International Seismological Center (ISC), then published as the "JARE Data Reports (Seismology)" by the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR). In recent years, the quality of chart records has been improved by the advance of electronics. In this paper, the hypocentral distribution of the detected earthquakes for the seven year period from 1987 to 1993 was presented and the spatial distribution and time variations for epicental parameters were investigated. Moreover, the detection capability of earthquakes was discussed in relation to the report from ISC data.