CALIBRATION AND NOISE CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEWLY INSTALLED SEISMOMETER AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Upon initial deployment of a seismometer, instrument misalignment and site noise spectra are some of the first research tasks prioritized. These parameters allow any user to extract data specific to the instrument’s site or setup and allow them to focus on their research topics as op- posed to data quality testing. Now that vast seismogram databases exist online, it is even more crucial that every station ascribes to a set of quality standards that start with reporting these parameters. By understanding the noise parameters of a given seismometer, its data can better be used in conjunction with other seismometer’s to understand Earth’s structure. Over 206 days of recording, the newly installed Princeton seismometer (40.3460◦ N, −74.6550◦ E) detected P arrivals from 31 earthquakes. I find that the seismometer is−22.60◦ misaligned, and the Princeton area is noisiest from 8am–5pm EST and during the school year in the P-wave frequency band and higher, making any seismic P arrivals recorded during this time less resolvable.