The main purpose is to image the near surface resources, including lava tubes and regolith, at Lava Beds National Monument (LBNM), a lunar analog site, using active source seismology. A June 2022 field expedition collected data in this region. The field sites include (1) a Pleistocene pumice deposit at Caldwell Butte, analogous to lunar regolith and surface materials, (2) two normal fault scarps north of LBNM, analogous to lunar normal faults, and (3) Skull Cave, a well-studied 10–20m diameter, 175 m long lava tube, analogous to lunar lava tubes. The project builds upon previous field expertise from the NASA-funded TubeX project, and our data will be used to demonstrate both the capabilities and limits for seismic data in future planetary resource exploration missions.
EarthScope Consortium operates the NSF National Geophysical Facility (NSF NGF).
Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this
material do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science
Foundation.
NSF SAGE Facility has been
certified as a trustworthy data repository
by the CoreTrustSeal Standards and Certification Board
