Bear Encounters with Seismic Stations in Alaska and Northwestern Canada
Carl Tape, David Heath, Michael Baker, Scott Dalton, Kasey Aderhold, Michael West
Seismological Research Letters, 2019
Full-resolution: main paper, supplement; Low-resolution: main paper, supplement
Remote regions of Alaska have lots of curious bears. These bears can wreak havoc on scientific equipment, such as a seismic station that records continuous ground motion. When bears disrupt a seismic station, there can be damage of equipment and loss of data. This has been a long-standing challenge. We decided to document this issue across Alaska and to make recommendations to minimize data losses in the future.
The photos below are from temporary seismic stations, which are much lighter than permanent stations in Alaska.
Videos of bears and other animals at seismic stations
Bears at seismic station in Minto Flats, Alaska
https://youtu.be/nn9cKcwDahM (May 2016)
https://youtu.be/crgu1rVpODo (August 2018)
Animals at a seismic station in Minto Flats, Alaska
https://youtu.be/6-6tBKLCCk4 (winter 2015-2016)
https://youtu.be/1XsAZ3VAgZw (winter 2016-2017)
https://youtu.be/HjxjzRuxQHA (winter 2017-2018)
https://youtu.be/gmAo50UFt5w (winter 2018-2019)
Earthquake moose (April 2016)