Tide-induced microseismicity in the Mertz glacier grounding area, East Antarctica

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 40; no. 20; pp. 5412 - 5416
• Main Authors: Barruol, Guilhem, Cordier, Emmanuel, Bascou, Jérôme, Fontaine, Fabrice R., Legrésy, Benoit, Lescarmontier, Lydie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Blackwell Publishing Ltd 28.10.2013; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; American Geophysical Union
• Subjects: Adélie land; Antarctica; cryoseismology; Earth Sciences; Flexing; Fracturing; Geophysics; Glaciers; Grounding; icequakes; Marine; Mertz glacier; Modulation; Sciences of the Universe; Sea level changes; Seismic phenomena; Seismology; tide; Tides
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1002/2013GL057814

The deployment of a seismic network along the Adélie and George V coasts in East Antarctica during the period 2009–2012 provides the opportunity to monitor cryoseismic activity and to obtain new insights on the relationship between tidal cycles and coastal glacier dynamics. Here we focus on records from a seismometer located on a rocky outcrop in the vicinity of the grounding line of the 35 km broad Mertz glacier, a major outflow of this region. We detect numerous icequakes (50,000 events within 10 months and up to 100 events/h) and demonstrate their clear tidal modulation. We suggest that they result from ice friction and fracturing around the rocky peak and from the glacier flexure in response to the falling and rising tides at its grounding area. We propose that such icequake monitoring could be used as a climate proxy since grounding lines are subject to migrate with sea level changes. Key Points Large microseismicity is recorded at the Mertz glacier grounding area Icequakes show clear evidence of tide modulation Ice fracturing is proposed to be largely controlled by glacier flexure