Royal Institute and Observatory of the Spanish Navy

About: Royal Institute and Observatory of the Spanish Navy is a facility organization based out in San Fernando, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Gamma-ray burst & Magnetic anomaly. The organization has 50 authors who have published 106 publications receiving 2565 citations. The organization is also known as: Instituto y Observatorio de Marina de San Fernando.

Uniform approximation of planetary ephemerides

Abstract: DE200/LE200 astronomical ephemerides are compressed nding the \best approximation" in the Chebyshev sense. When reproducing the data base from this polynomial approximation, the maxima and minima values of the error are equal in absolute value over the considered interval. In order to obtain polynomials valid also for a reliable evaluation at points interpolated on the data base, we work with dense data bases: the fact that the estimate of the error provided by the best approxima- tion of continuous functions is valid for all the interval and the smoothness of the discrete error functions we have ob- tained guarantee, in our opinion, the desired bound for the error also for interpolated points. Consequently we obtain maximum compression and fast evaluation.

Reply on RC2

Abstract: Abstract. We use 1.5 years of continuous recordings from an amphibious seismic network deployment in the region of northeast South America and southeast Caribbean to study the crustal and uppermost mantle structure through a joint inversion of surface wave dispersion curves determined from ambient seismic noise and receiver functions. The availability of both ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) and land stations makes this experiment ideal to determine the best processing methods to extract reliable empirical Green’s functions (EGFs) and construct a 3D shear velocity model. Results show EGFs with high signal-to-noise ratio for land-land, land-OBS and OBS-OBS paths from a variety of stacking methods. Using the EGF estimates, we measure phase and group velocity dispersion curves for Rayleigh and Love waves. We complement these observations with receiver functions, which allow us to perform an H-k analysis to obtain Moho depth estimates across the study area. The measured dispersion curves and receiver functions are used in a Bayesian joint inversion to retrieve a series of 1D shear-wave velocity models, which are then interpolated to build a 3D model of the region. Our results display clear contrasts in the oceanic region across the border of the strike-slip fault system San Sebastian - El Pilar as well as a high velocity region that corresponds well with the continental craton of southeastern Venezuela. We resolve known geological features in our new model, including the Espino Graben and the Guiana Shield provinces, and provide new information about their crustal structures. Furthermore, we image the difference in the crust beneath the Maturin and Guárico Sub-Basin.

Reply on RC1

Abstract: Abstract. We use 1.5 years of continuous recordings from an amphibious seismic network deployment in the region of northeast South America and southeast Caribbean to study the crustal and uppermost mantle structure through a joint inversion of surface wave dispersion curves determined from ambient seismic noise and receiver functions. The availability of both ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) and land stations makes this experiment ideal to determine the best processing methods to extract reliable empirical Green’s functions (EGFs) and construct a 3D shear velocity model. Results show EGFs with high signal-to-noise ratio for land-land, land-OBS and OBS-OBS paths from a variety of stacking methods. Using the EGF estimates, we measure phase and group velocity dispersion curves for Rayleigh and Love waves. We complement these observations with receiver functions, which allow us to perform an H-k analysis to obtain Moho depth estimates across the study area. The measured dispersion curves and receiver functions are used in a Bayesian joint inversion to retrieve a series of 1D shear-wave velocity models, which are then interpolated to build a 3D model of the region. Our results display clear contrasts in the oceanic region across the border of the strike-slip fault system San Sebastian - El Pilar as well as a high velocity region that corresponds well with the continental craton of southeastern Venezuela. We resolve known geological features in our new model, including the Espino Graben and the Guiana Shield provinces, and provide new information about their crustal structures. Furthermore, we image the difference in the crust beneath the Maturin and Guárico Sub-Basin.

The 2021-2022 seismic sequence in southern Alboran Sea

Abstract: The Alboran Sea is a complex tectonic region in the westernmost Mediterranean Sea, dominated by the present-day NW-SE convergence between Eurasia and Nubia plates. This compression regime accomodates long strike-slip active fault systems, together with several inverse structures, crossing the Alboran crust in a NE-SW trending shear deformation belt which mainly controlls the shallow seismicity in the area. In fact, the southern sector of the Alboran domain has experienced two large earthquakes in the last two decades, the Mw 6.3 2004 Alhoceima and the Mw 6.4 2016 Alboran events. Since mid-april 2021, and over the following 20 months, tens of moderate-magnitude shallow earthquakes (4&#8804;Mw&#8804;5.3, h<20 km) have been registered in this area, to the northwest of Melilla, between the 2016 main shock and the African coast. The two largest events, a Mw 5.1 on August 28, 2021 and a Mw 5.3 on May 20, 2022, were widely felt in Melilla city (maximum EMS-98 intensities of IV and IV-V, respectively) and along the southern Spanish and the Moroccan coasts. These moderate seismicity occurs together with thousands of low-magnitude events (M<3) in a swarm-type distribution, in contrast to previous seismic sequences in 2004 and 2016 which showed a more typical foreshock-mainshock-aftershock pattern. An accurate hypocentral location of this seismicity is a key point to better image the seismicity distribution and rupture area and, hence, to improve our knowledge of the active tectonics of this region, contributing to improve seismic and tsunami hazard assessments. In this study we perfom a high-precision relocation of a selected good-quality subset of moderate-magnitude earthquakes of the 2021-2022 seismic sequence and we compare them to a similar set of relocated earthquakes of the 2004 and 2016 series, using all the available seismic data. We apply a non-linear probabilistic location algorithm jointly with a 3-D velocity model for the Alboran-Betic-Rif system, to account for differences in wave propagation in the laterally heterogeneous crust. This approach is a powerful tool to improve the hypocentral parametres.

Observing programmes for the Carlsberg Automatic Meridian Circle

Abstract: At the Carlsberg Automatic Meridian Circle on La Palma an observing programme of 72500 stars is in progress. The observing conditions are discussed and a status report is presented as well as some plans for future programmes. A special effort is made for stars between vis. mag. 11m.0 and 12m.0 in a general net as well as in radio source fields. Some of these sources will be observed with the Danish 1.5m telescope on La Silla. Also discussed are fundamental programmes and large astrophysical programmes.