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| AfricanArray | |
|---|---|
| Name | AfricanArray |
| Formation | 2006 |
| Type | Research network |
| Purpose | Seismological and geophysical monitoring across Africa |
| Region served | Africa |
| Headquarters | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Parent organization | Council for Geoscience |
AfricanArray
AfricanArray is a continental geophysical network that coordinates broadband seismic stations, magnetotelluric sites, and geodetic instruments across sub-Saharan Africa to study lithospheric structure, seismicity, and geodynamic processes. It links institutional capacity in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon, Ethiopia and other African states with international research centres such as United States Geological Survey, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, University of Oxford, California Institute of Technology and Arizona State University. The initiative supports training of scientists at institutions like University of Cape Town, Rhodes University, University of Nairobi and University of Ibadan while contributing data to global archives such as the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology.
AfricanArray is an integrated consortium that deploys and operates an array of broadband seismographs, magnetotelluric systems, global navigation satellite system receivers, and strong-motion accelerographs across African tectonic provinces including the East African Rift, the Saharan Shield, the Congo Craton, and the Somali Plate. The network aims to improve seismic hazard assessment near population centres like Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Lagos, and Johannesburg and to resolve mantle and crustal processes linked to events such as the 2005 Lake Kivu earthquake and volcanic activity at Mount Nyiragongo and Mount Kilimanjaro. AfricanArray collaborates with national geological surveys such as the Council for Geoscience (South Africa), Kenya Meteorological Department, and Nigerian Geological Survey Agency.
The concept for a coordinated African seismic network emerged from partnerships between researchers at University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University, University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and agencies including the International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks and the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program. Early pilot deployments in the 1990s and 2000s were supported by funding from the European Commission, the National Science Foundation (United States), and the Royal Society. Formalized in the mid-2000s, AfricanArray expanded through Memoranda of Understanding with national ministries and institutions such as the Ethiopian Institute of Geological Survey and the Cameroon Geological Survey. Milestones include establishment of broadband backbone links, installation of magnetotelluric lines coordinated with teams from GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, and hosting of regional workshops at University of Cape Town and University of Pretoria.
The operational footprint comprises dozens of broadband seismic stations installed in collaboration with partners like Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, International Seismological Centre, and national seismic networks. Station locations span tectonic settings near the East African Rift System, passive-margin domains along the Gulf of Guinea, and intracratonic regions on the Kaapvaal Craton. Instrumentation includes sensors from manufacturers such as Streckeisen, Nanometrics, and Güralp Systems Ltd. and telemetry systems provided by Iridium Communications, VSAT providers, and terrestrial links via institutions like South African National Research Network. Field campaigns have installed temporary arrays for studies around Lake Turkana, Lake Tanganyika, and the Tanzania Craton.
Research objectives target seismic tomography, ambient-noise imaging, receiver function analysis, and magnetotelluric inversion to map crustal thickness, lithospheric mantle structure, and mantle plume signatures beneath regions including Afro-Arabia and the Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault region. Studies address questions about lithospheric deformation along the East African Rift System, lithospheric delamination beneath the Ethiopian Plateau, and the role of mantle upwellings in volcanism at Harrat Rahat and Dabbahu fissure. AfricanArray-enabled publications involve collaborations with research groups at Columbia University, Princeton University, University of Cambridge, and CNRS exploring seismic anisotropy, earthquake source characterization, and crustal evolution of the West African Shield.
Data stewardship follows community standards with station metadata and waveform data archived through platforms such as the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Data Management Center and interoperable services compatible with the International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks. AfricanArray promotes open-data policies permitting access for researchers at universities including University of Lagos, Makerere University, and Addis Ababa University subject to data sharing agreements with national agencies. Data products include event catalogs, ambient-noise cross-correlations, shear-wave velocity models, and magnetotelluric impedance tensors distributed for reuse by groups like IRIS, ORFEUS, and regional seismic hazard initiatives.
Partnerships span international agencies, regional institutions, and funding bodies: examples include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Seismological Commission, World Bank capacity-building projects, and bilateral research programs with France's Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris. Training and personnel exchange occur with universities such as Imperial College London, University of California, Berkeley, Seismological Society of America workshops, and regional centres like the African Union's scientific units. Collaborative projects have linked AfricanArray with observatories operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Norwegian Seismic Array for joint studies on tectonic processes.
AfricanArray has enhanced earthquake monitoring, informed seismic hazard maps for urban planning in cities like Dar es Salaam, Accra, and Casablanca, and supported resource exploration efforts for mining operations on the Kaapvaal Craton and hydrocarbon studies in the Gulf of Guinea. The network has contributed to capacity development through graduate training programs, joint publications with partners at Max Planck Institute for Geosciences and ETH Zurich, and emergency response collaborations with regional disaster agencies such as African Union Development Agency and national civil protection authorities. Scientific outputs have advanced understanding of continental rifting, mantle dynamics, and crustal architecture across Africa.
Category:Seismology Category:Geophysics Category:Scientific organizations