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Very broadband seismic background noise analysis of permanent good vaulted seismic stations

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Abstract

This paper describes the results of a preliminary study conducted to analyze seismic background noise at sites of recently deployed very broadband stations of the Egyptian National Seismological Network (ENSN). The main purpose of the study is to assess the effects of permanent seismic vault construction and also to establish characteristics and origin of seismic noise at those sites. Another goal of this study is to determine the time needed for noise at those sites to stabilize. The power spectral densities of background noise at short period band (SP), very broadband (VBB), and ultra long period band (ULP) for each component of each broadband seismometer deployed in the different investigated sites are calculated. A MATLAB code has been developed that manages data processing and data analysis and compares the results with the high-noise model (NHNM) and low-noise model (NLNM) of Peterson (1993). Based on the obtained analysis, the noise stability and the efficiency of each station to record regional and teleseismic events are measured. The results of this study could be used in the future to evaluate station quality, to improve those processes that require background noise values, such as automatic association, and to improve the estimation of station and network detection and location thresholds.

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Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Egyptian National Seismological Network, Egypt for the provision of seismic data as well as all other facilities required for this research. Thanks are due to Hamid Nofel (Egyptian National Seismological Network) for kindly offering some power spectral density analysis codes and valuable advice while working on this research. Grateful thanks to Barbara Romanowicz (Seismological Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA) who helped improve and edit the manuscript. The author appreciates comments and revisions from the reviewers, which improved the manuscript. The author is also grateful to editor of Journal of Seismology who gave me a chance to improve the manuscript.

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  1. Seismology Department, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Helwan, Cairo, Egypt

    Abd el-aziz Khairy Abd el-aal

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  1. Abd el-aziz Khairy Abd el-aal
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Correspondence to Abd el-aziz Khairy Abd el-aal.

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Abd el-aal, Aa.K. Very broadband seismic background noise analysis of permanent good vaulted seismic stations. J Seismol 17, 223–237 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-012-9308-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-012-9308-5

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