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A New Prototype of a Remote Station for the Monitoring of Geoelectrical Parameters in Seismic Active Areas

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Abstract

We describe a new prototype of a remote station for the continuous measuring of geoelectrical parameters in seismic active areas. The design of the monitoring equipment combines advanced technologies for electrical sensors with robust statistical methodologies for the identification of anomalous patterns in the recorded signals, possibly related to local seismic events. The main features of the remote station have been highlighted analyzing the data measured in a seismic active area of Southern Apennine chain (Italy). An acquisition unit operating with a 24 bit A/D converter controls a multi-electrode array equipped with sensors able to detect the temporal fluctuations of electrical field on the earth surface. In a first step, we have developed a software package able to check those factors that can contaminate the electrical parameters, such as the rainfall events. In a second step, we investigated the inner dynamical structure of the measured data at different time scales; then, it has been verified that the temporal fluctuations of the electrical signals are well described by a first-order autoregressive process.

Taking into account the quantitative dynamics extracted by the geoelectrical time series, we began to study the so-called extreme events (or runs), i.e., that consecutive values above/below a fixed threshold with a low occurrence probability. Finally, we attempted to identify such events and to study their correlation with the seismic phenomena observed in the investigated area.

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Balasco, M., Chianese, D., Lapenna, V. et al. A New Prototype of a Remote Station for the Monitoring of Geoelectrical Parameters in Seismic Active Areas. Subsurface Sensing Technologies and Applications 3, 35–57 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014058229309

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