Seismicity in the Bransfield Strait, Antarctica, for the Period 2020–2023 as Recorded from LIVV Seismic Station

Abstract

The Bransfield Strait is situated between the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Archipelago. The seismic regime of the area is characterized by volcanic and tectonic activity, expressed in shallow, weak to moderate earthquakes. The global seismic networks locate the stronger earthquakes in this region. Weak events are recorded by standalone stations installed on the Antarctic continent and neighbouring islands, the number of which is not sufficient for good location. In the study, we present the processing of the seismic data for the period from January 2020 to January 2023 registered by Bulgarian Antarctic station LIVV and the produced results. The single-station localization method was applied and calculated, epicentres were compared with those listed in the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre catalogue. In the study period, the seismic pattern is dominated by swarm volcanic seismicity around Orca volcano, as well as three earthquake clusters of unknown origin in the vicinity of Livingston Island.