Data Quality of Collocated Portable Broadband Seismometers Using Direct Burial and Vault Emplacement

Temporary broadband sensor deployments have traditionally been predominantly emplaced using shallow vaults that require more materials, personnel, and time than direct burial. However, new developments in seismometer and seismograph technology are increasingly facilitating systems that can be directly buried in earth or snow without vault enclosures. We analyze data from two identical shallow vaults installed adjacent to two identical direct burial sites in soft flood plain alluvial and shallow water table conditions near Socorro, New Mexico. Data recorded from these four sensors over eight months in 2012 were assessed to determine if the emplacement type had a significant and systematic effect on data quality.