Abstract:

Preliminary studies indicate that the Spinnaker array, a network of hydrophones currently deployed in the Arctic Ocean, may be used to monitor seismicity of the Arctic Basin, as well as long distance teleseismic arrivals from the Southern Hemisphere. The Arctic Basin is a tectonically complex region that has seen few seismic studies, and the Spinnaker array has the potential to monitor some of its most interesting features, such as the Nansen--Gekkel Ridge (the slowest spreading ridge in the world), in near real time. In addition, teleseismic arrivals at the array may have raypaths that coincide closely with the Earth's spin axis. These data may prove useful to current studies of the crystalline alignment and differential spin of the Earth's inner core.