# Presentation: 649917

## A New Geomagnetic Observatory for Austria at theCONRAD ObservatoryXIIIth IAGA Workshop on Geomagnetic Observatory Instruments, Data Acquisition and Processing in Golden and Boulder June 9 – 18, 2008Peter MelicharHead of Department of GeophysicsCentral Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, Vienna, Austriapeter.melichar@zamg.ac.at

## Introduction to the CONRAD Observatory 

- A new Geophysical Observatory operating since 2002, the CONRAD Observatory at the Trafelberg near Muggendorf in Lower Austria, situated South-West of Vienna. Designed for a center of Research and Development for Seismology,  for Gravitational Fields and in the near Future for the Geomagnetic Field.

- The Observatory is named afterthe famous
- seismologist Victor CONRAD, who worked at the ZAMG 1904

**CONRAD**
**Observatory**
- at the
- Trafelberg

- ZAMG

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

##       The Way up to the CONRAD Observatory

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## CONRAD Observatory – Construction Phase 1

**Seismological and Gravity Observatory**

**145 m long Tunnel**

**Entrance **
**1.044 m**

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## CONRAD Observatory – Construction Phase 1

- The Office and Data Communication Area

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

##  The Seismic Tunnel at the CONRAD Observatory

- As a part of the European Union Support Programme: Interreg IIIA FASTLINK, ITALY –  AUSTRIA,   a new seismic station design was developed and tested at the CONRAD Observatory

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## CONRAD Observatory – Construction Phase 1

- Seismic Noise Studies – Influence of thermal Isolation

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## CONRAD Observatory – Construction Phase 1

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## CONRAD Observatory – Test Installations for the new Geomagnetic Observatory

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## CONRAD Observatory – Test Installations for the new Geomagnetic Observatory

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## CONRAD Observatory – Test Installations for the new Geomagnetic Observatory

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## CONRAD Observatory – Test Installations for the new Geomagnetic Observatory

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## Introduction for the New GMO

- The Observatory is situated in the east part of Lower Austria, 1090 meter above sea level in a dedicated nature reserve of 550 hectares in size.
- Due to the length of the tunnels and their respective orientation, high sensitive instruments can be deployed which are able to detect changes of the magnetic field down to pico-Tesla, without influencing each other.
- The new Geomagnetic Observatory – GMO is planned to be developed completely underground in the non-magnetic limestone of the Trafel-Mountain.  We expect a constant temperature at the tunnels of about 10 degrees Celsius.
- The Observatory is prepared to run high sensitive potassium gradiometer systems in the directions N – S, E – W and Vertical on a fixed baseline of 200 meter with an integrated variable short baseline of 5 to 50 meter.
- We hope to get a lot of data for the scientific community and new insights into the nature of the magnetic field in real-time, including the current systems in the Ionosphere and Magnetosphere.

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## CONRAD Observatory – Test Installations for the new Geomagnetic Observatory

- Magnetics!

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## The New GMO – Phase 2 of the CONRAD Observatory  

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## The New GMO – Phase 2 of the CONRAD Observatory

- The Variometer
- Area
- 50 m x 100 m

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## The New GMO – Phase 2 of the CONRAD Observatory

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

## The New GMO – Phase 2 of the CONRAD Observatory

- Time Table:  March 2009 – September 2010

- Erdbeben im Alpenraum

##          Thank you !

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