Facility Support: The Global CMT Project

Lead PI: Goran Ekstrom , Meredith Nettles

Unit Affiliation: Seismology, Geology and Tectonophysics, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO)

January 2013 - May 2017
Inactive
Global
Project Type: Research

DESCRIPTION: The goal of the Global Centroid-Moment-Tensor Project (GCMT Project) is to analyze and quantify all moderate and large earthquakes occurring worldwide using seismic data, and to provide the most comprehensive record of global seismic strain release available. Data from global seismographic networks are collected from the IRIS Data Management Center (DMC) and from individual network operators in near-real time for the analysis of large earthquakes. Additional archived data are later retrieved from the IRIS DMC to determine final results and to investigate events of smaller magnitude. The major objectives and activities of the GCMT Project are: 1. Systematic determination of moment tensors for earthquakes with magnitude M>5 globally, and archiving of the results in the GCMT catalog. 2. Rapid determination of moment tensors for earthquakes with M>5.5 globally, and quick dissemination of the results ("quick CMTs"). 3. Curation and distribution of the GCMT catalog, which contains moment-tensor results for the period 1976 to the present, currently more than 35,000 earthquakes. 4. Routine detection and location of seismic sources using surface waves. 5. Investigation and reporting of the quality of seismic waveforms from the Global Seismographic Network other seismic networks. 6. Systematic analysis of earthquake sequences of special importance.