Long term broadband seismic observatory in Monterey Bay
Project Manager: Debra Stakes

Lead Engineer: Paul McGill
Lead Scientists: Barbara Romanowicz, Debra Stakes

The goal of the MOBB (Monterey Ocean Floor Broadband Seismometer) project is to install a permanent three-component broadband seismometer system on the seafloor in Monterey Bay. Complementing the land-based network of broadband seismic stations is crucial to providing better azimuthal coverage and thereby improving the characterization of moderate to large earthquakes occurring in Northern California along the San Andreas system, and improving knowledge of the deep structure of this plate boundary. More generally, experience in long-term deployment of broadband systems is needed in the context of plans for the development of long-term global seismic sea floor observatories as advocated by the International Ocean Network. This work also enables us to develop new tools and methodologies for ocean observatories, while providing high-quality seismic data to the Northern California Earthquake Data Center (NCEDC).