Broadband Seismic Characterization of the Arabian Shield,

We propose to carry out a field program in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to collect a suite of broadband seismic waveform data and the associated parametric data describing the sources. We plan to deploy 6 portable broadband seismic stations along 3 profiles on the Arabia Shield and record over a period of about a year. Most of the regional seismic sources will be in the tectonically active area of Iran and Turkey to the northeast. Other areas of seismic activity include the Red Sea Rift bordering the Shield to the southwest, and the Dead Sea Transform fault zone to the north. In addition to data recorded at the portable stations, we will also utilize other broadband data sources in the region including GSETT-3 stations, GSN stations, and other seismic facilities in Central Asia. All data collected in the course of this program will be organized in version 3.0 CSS databases and be available for distribution. The main research objectives of the proposed program are 1 to study the propagation of regional phases across the Arabian Shield over a broad band of frequencies, 2 to study the crustal structure and seismicity of the Arabian Shield, and 3 to characterize potential sites for permanent seismic facility installation.