Characterization and validation of tidally calibrated strains from the Alto Tiberina Near Fault Observatory Strainmeter Array (TABOO-NFO-STAR)

Authors

  • Catherine Hanagan USGS Earthquake Science Center
  • Eugenio Mandler Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy
  • Rick Bennett NOAA National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, USA
  • Lauro Chiaraluce Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9697-6504
  • Mike Gottlieb The EarthScope Consortium, USA
  • Adriano Gualandi Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK
  • Amanda Hughes Department of Geosciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1121-3680
  • Wade Johnson The EarthScope Consortium, USA
  • Dave Mencin The EarthScope Consortium, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9984-6724
  • Simone Marzorati Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5803-4882

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v4i1.1471

Keywords:

Borehole Strainmeters, Near-Fault Observatory, Earthquakes, Strain, Calibration

Abstract

Six horizontal borehole tensor strainmeters (TSM1-6) installed from Fall 2021 to Spring 2022 comprise the Alto Tiberina Near Fault Observatory Strainmeter Array (STAR), providing an unprecedented opportunity to investigate seismic and aseismic deformation from hazardous high- and low-angle normal faults in Italy. Prior to use in tectonic applications, they require in-situ calibration and correction for non-tectonic signals. We tidally calibrate the instruments, characterize the calibration uncertainty, and test the results against environmental and earthquake signals originating from local to teleseismic distances. The STAR sites demonstrably deviate from assumptions common to the standard manufacturer's calibrations, including negative areal coupling at TSM3-6. While the tidally calibrated strains have ~3-56% uncertainty, the calibrated dynamic strains show interstation precision and accuracy to nanostrain levels, and static coseismic offsets in the array footprint are within uncertainty. TSM3 records a complex series of strains that may arise from dynamically triggered near-borehole fracture slip and fluid flow that does not appear to affect its sensitivity to lower strain rate deformation. Future calibration improvement may be afforded with longer stable timeseries, particularly for TSM4. Overall, our analyses demonstrate expanded geodetic capability for detecting deformation in the Alto Tiberina Near Fault Observatory.

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2025-06-02

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Hanagan, C., Mandler, E., Bennett, R., Chiaraluce, L., Gottlieb, M., Gualandi, A., Hughes, A., Johnson, W., Mencin, D., & Marzorati, S. (2025). Characterization and validation of tidally calibrated strains from the Alto Tiberina Near Fault Observatory Strainmeter Array (TABOO-NFO-STAR). Seismica, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.26443/seismica.v4i1.1471

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Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025)

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Copyright (c) 2024 Catherine Hanagan, Eugenio Mandler, Rick Bennett, Lauro Chiaraluce, Mike Gottlieb, Adriano Gualandi, Amanda Hughes, Wade Johnson, Dave Mencin, Simone Marzorati

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