SOAR Telescope seismic performance I: impact of the 2015 Illapel earthquake

The response of the SOAR telescope to the September 2015 Illapel earthquake is documented and placed in the context of other recent, nearby seismic events. Accelerometer data collected on the telescope during these events suggest that observed intensities due to events occurring to the south of the SOAR telescope site are higher than predicted by simple models. Amplification of accelerations occurs at several places within the telescope system, most notably the telescope top end and secondary mirror assembly, and the azimuth encoder system. Damage in these areas is described, and an overview of the earthquake recovery effort is presented.