Project objectives

The FLATS project aimed to understand the active tectonics and subsurface structure within the region of Minto Flats and Nenana basin in central Alaska. The centerpiece effort of the project was a 2014–2019 deployment of 13 broadband stations in a roadless, remote region that had never hosted a seismometer before. All seismic data were telemetered, thanks to support from the Alaska Earthquake Center, and immediately openly available from the IRIS Data Management Center archives. The project included a substantial education and outreach component, including a museum exhibit hosted at the University of Alaska Museum of the North, and now available online.

Scientific Publications

Minto Flats fault zone and Nenana basin

Earthquake nucleation in the Minto Flats fault zone

Seismic noise: river, wind, basin

Seismic response of Nenana basin (Kyle Smith, in preparation)

Bear encounters

aside: recording the aurora at seismometers across Alaska

Education and Outreach

shAKe Alaska museum exhibit at University of Alaska Museum of the North (November 2018 to December 2019)

Virtual shAKe museum exhibit

Educational visits to Minto School and Nenana City School

Nenana City School Science Day at UAF (Permafrost Tunnel, UA museum, Alaska Earthquake Center, Geophysical Institute, UAF campus tour, including Rural Student Services)