Passive seismic surveys

The Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) creates 3D geoscience models of Western Australia’s lithospheric architecture using a variety of geological and geophysical datasets to assist with locating mineral and energy resources.
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Passive seismic surveys use natural seismic waves from to study the Earth's internal structure. Providing data from shallow levels, through the crust and the lithosphere/asthenosphere boundary (LAB) to the core, passive seismic surveys help to determine seismic risk and hazard, identify areas of mineral prospectivity, unravel tectonic history and inform land-use planning.

It works by detecting seismic waves from earthquakes, both local and global, but also more continuous sources such as the pounding of ocean waves and storms.

Survey (year and name)DOI / FSDN link
2022 – WA-Arrayhttps://auspass.edu.au/
2021 – Canning Basin baseline earthquake monitoring 
2021–23 Pilbara Lithospheric Architecture Network (PLAN-WA) 
2020 – South West Australia Network (SWAN) — in progress10.7914/SN/2P_2020
2018 – 19 Eastern Goldfields Array (EGF1) 
2017 – 19 Canning Basin Array (CWAS) 
2017 – 18 CANPASS 
2017 Perth Basin Passive Seismic 
2015 WA Spiral Array (WASPA)10.7914/SN/6C_2015
2014 – 18 Capricorn Orogen Passive Array (COPA) with High Precision Section10.7914/SN/7M_2014
10.7914/SN/8K_2014
2013 – 16 Albany–Fraser passive seismic Experiment (ALFREX)10.7914/SN/1K_2013
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