AfricaArray - Scientific Observatories - Stations - South Africa

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South African National Seismograph Network (SANSN)

Map of Stations | Seismograph Station Summary | Example Equipment

Map of Stations

The Seismology Unit of the Council for Geoscience is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the SANSN which currently consists of 21 stations located in South Africa. The first station was installed in 1910 in Johannesburg at the Union Observatory and the second station was installed in Hermanus, Cape Town around 1921. Since then the network has grown to the 21 stations of today.

Map of the South African National Seismograph Network showing the short period and broadband stations and also those dedicated to AfricaArray.

Seismograph Station Summary

The table below provides information on the SANSN stations. Eleven of the stations will be equipped with broadband sensors by mid-2005, and these stations will be operated as AfricaArray stations (see above map for station name and locations). Data will be collected daily from these stations via dial-up modem.

The Council for Geoscience strives to continually improve the equipment at the stations to ensure that good quality data is obtained from each station. The CGS has replaced old analogue instrumentation (Benioff sensors, seismic recording drums, portacorders, heliocorders, etc.) with EARS and SAQS seismograph technology. The generic in house produced EARS (alpha, delta, omega) and SAQS seismograph technology has become standard within the network since the late 1990’s.

The current upgrading of the SANSN involves the introduction of many broadband sensors together with both EARS and SAQS recording systems.

The Council for Geoscience is currently deploying KS2000 and Guralp CMG-40T broadband seismometers at selected stations throughout the SANSN and short period 3-component seismometers at the remainder of the stations.

Station Name and Code	Latitude	Longitude	Elevation	Geological Foundation	Instruments
Belfast (BFT)	25°41.20'S	30°02.60'E	1868	Gabbro	Stand Alone Quake Seismometer (SAQS) with Guralp CMG-40T broadband seismometer
Calvinia (CVNA)	31°28.93'S	19°45.70'E	1050	Dolerite	EARS Delta with KS2000 broadband seismometer.
Carruthers Hill (CASA)	34°41.94'S	19°35.40'E	187	Quartzitic Sandstone	Stand Alone Quake Seismometer (SAQS) with Geotech S13 three-component seismometer set. Geotech RV-301B
Ceres (CER)	33°21.70'S	19°17.60'E	472	Quartzite	EARS Delta with Guralp CMG-40T broadband seismometer
Elim	33°35.80’S	19°44.70’E	126	Sandstone	Stand Alone Quake Seismometer (SAQS) with Mark Products L4-3D
Grahamstown (GRM)	33°18.80'S	26°30.50'E	610	Witteberg Quartzite	EARS Delta with KS2000 broadband seismometer.
Gariep Dam (HVD)	30°36.30'S	25°29.80'E	1433	Dolerite	Stand Alone Quake Seismometer (SAQS) with Guralp CMG-40T broadband seismometer
Komaggas (KOMG)	29°47.94'S	17°29.02'E	299	Gneiss	Stand Alone Quake Seismometer (SAQS) with Mark Products L4-3D
Kokstad (KSD)	30°32.46'S	29°25.00'E	1350	Dolerite	No instruments installed.
Koster (KSR)	25°51.10'S	26°53.83'E	1623	Sandstone	EARS Omega 18 bit Digital dial-up event recorder with Geotech S13 three component seismometer set.
Lephalale (LEP)	23°38.98'S	27°44.81'E	840	Sandstone, siltstone and mudstone	Stand Alone Quake Seismometer (SAQS) with Guralp CMG-40T broadband seismometer
Messina (MSNA)	22°20.71'S	30°01.39'E	600	Quartzite	EARS Omega with Guralp CMG-40T broadband seismometer
Mopani (MOPA)	23°31.04S	31°23.86E	362	Granite	Stand Alone Quake Seismometer (SAQS) with Guralp CMG-40T broadband seismometer
Newcastle (NWL)	27°43.24'S	29°57.19'E	1332	Dolerite	EARS Omega Digital dial-up event recorder. Short period Mark Products L4-C, vertical component seismometer.
Parys (PRY)	26°55.70'S	27°28.40'E	1455	Granite	No instruments installed.
Pongola (POG)	27°22.19'S	31°36.70'E	290	Sandstone	No instruments installed.
Prieska (PKA)	29°40.20'S	22°45.40'E	960	Alluvium, calcrete	Stand Alone Quake Seismometer (SAQS) with Guralp CMG-40T broadband seismometer
Silverton (SLR)	25°44.10'S	28°16.90'E	1348	Quartzite	Nanometrics system with STS-2 Streckeisen 3C, very broadband seismometer.
Senekal (SEK)	28°19.40'S	27°37.50'E	1486	Sandstone	Stand Alone Quake Seismometer (SAQS) with Guralp CMG-40T broadband seismometer
Somerset-East (SOE)	32°42.70'S	25°33.70'E	820	Mudstone sandstone	No instruments installed.
Sutherland (SUR)	32°22.80'S	20°48.70'E	1760	Dolerite	MK 7B Data System, 3 STS-1 Broadband seismometers, 1 STS-2 SP seismometer.
Schweizer-Reneke(SWZ)	27°10.94'S	25°19.90'E	1342	Sandstone	No instruments installed.
Upington (UPI)	28°21.72'S	21°15.16'E	845	Calcrete	EARS Delta with KS2000 broadband seismometer.