SIOLA - SeIsmicity and neOtectonics of the LAptev sea region: Project and first results

The area in north-east Siberia, adjacent to the Laptev Sea of the Arctic Ocean, inherits a complex geological setting, which is to date not fully understood. Located north to the Laptev Sea, the ultraslow spreading Gakkel Ridge is propagating into a continental rift system – the Laptev Sea Rift. This rift separates the North American plate from the Eurasian plate and presents a rare opportunity to investigate mechanisms of recent continental breakups. In general, divergent plate boundaries are accompanied by magmatic and earthquake activities. The earthquake activity at the Gakkel Ridge shows a sharp image of seismicity, confined to the rift valley extends to the continental shelf of the Laptev Sea. Though, the Laptev Sea region indicates less and more diffuse seismicity and an absence of magmatic activity. So far, the local (micro-)seismicity of the Laptev Sea region is poorly described, due to a lack of local seismological stations and data sets. In summer 2016, as part of the project SIOLA, 25 seismological stations were temporarily installed in the Lena Delta. A network of 12 seismometers were located in the Lena Delta along the active seismic Olenek Fault Zone and another 13 stations as a seismological array close to Tiksi. Over a period of nine months, these instruments continuously recorded seismic data, to investigate the geodynamic processes of the Laptev Sea Rift by analysing the local seismicity. Furthermore, new data recently collected by members of the project and expand the existing data base. We will report the progress of the project and show some data and preliminary results.