Detection and analysis of Antarctic glacial earthquakes to study transient glacial processes
| Friday, August 28, 2026 |
| 11:30 AM - 11:40 AM |
Overview
Dr Thanh-son Pham, ANU
Speaker
Dr Thanh-son Pham
Arc Decra Fellow
The Australian National University
Detection and analysis of Antarctic glacial earthquakes to study transient glacial processes
Abstract Document
Advancing the capacity to monitor how glaciers and ice streams flow and release icebergs into the ocean at their terminal ice shelves is crucial to better understanding glacial dynamics. This work presents a novel use of seismic networks deployed across Antarctica for nearly two decades to detect and analyze a range of exotic glacial seismic sources. First, we report glacial earthquakes associated with the capsize of icebergs calved from the termini of glaciers in West Antarctica. The events were detected during systematic analysis of the 2010–2023 Antarctic dataset, yielding a catalog of 362 largely uncatalogued Ms 2–3 seismic events associated with Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers. The correlation between the frequency of Thwaites events and episodic speed-ups of its frontal ice tongue between 2018 and 2020 suggests imminent feedback of ice sheet stability on ocean forcings. Second, we present the detection and analysis of a series of seismic events located in the Vincennes Bay, East Antarctica. At the closest seismic station, CASY, the events are characterized by hour-long seiche oscillations, probably due to standing ocean waves confined in the bay. These largely hitherto unanalyzed events are prime examples of the dynamic interactions at glacier termini, potentially shedding new light on the interplay among the ocean-ice-solid Earth system in Antarctica.
Biography
As a global seismologist, I use seismic waves to understand the Earth’s interior structures and seismic energy sources, employing mathematical tools such as signal processing, numerical modeling, and geophysical inference. To date, one of my visible contributions has been to help better understand the architecture of the seismic wavefield several hours after large earthquakes and to use it to decipher several long-standing puzzles regarding the Earth’s inner core. My ongoing research aims to expand the seismological toolbox to advance research on these topics, focusing on understanding the structures and dynamics of the polar ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland under a changing climate.