First epoch geodetic measurements with the Global Positioning System across the Northern Caribbean Plate Boundary Zone

Abstract

The first geodetic survey across the northern Caribbean plate boundary zone with the Global Positioning System (GPS) was conducted in June 1986. Baseline vectors defined by the six station regional GPS network ranged from 170 to 1260 km in length. Repeatability of independent daily baseline estimates was better than 8 mm plus 1.3 parts in 108 of baseline length for horizontal components. The wet tropospheric path delay during the experiment was both high, sometimes exceeding 30 cm at zenith, and variable, sometimes exceeding 5 cm variation over several hours. Successful carrier phase cycle ambiguity resolution (“bias fixing”) could not be achieved prior to construction of a regional troposphere model. Tropospheric calibration was achieved with water vapor radiometers at selected sites, and with stochastic troposphere models and estimation techniques at remaining sites. With optimum troposphere treatment and single‐day orbital arcs, we resolved most biases on baselines up to about 550 km in length. With multiday orbital arcs we resolved most biases in the network regardless of baseline length. Our results suggest that constraints on plate boundary zone deformation in the Greater Antilles, and on the North America‐Caribbean relative plate motion vector, can be obtained with a series of GPS experiments spanning less than 10 and 15 years, respectively.

Relative motion between the Caribbean and North American plates and related boundary zone deformation from a decade of GPS observations

“…The three-dimensional deviation between the observed (our solution) and predicted (lTRF-94) values is dominated by the vertical component (average rms deviation 3.7 cm) which is not important for this study. The average north and east rms deviations are 2.0 and 2.4 cm, respectively (Table 3) Tracking data from additional sites not listed above were collected in the 1986 experiment, some of which were incorporated in earlier analyses [Dixon et al, 1991a]. Unfortunately, not all these data were available for this more recent analysis because they were not archived, the archive is not known to us, the original nine-track tapes had degraded, or critical ancillary data such as site logs with antenna heights were not archived with the raw GPS data.…”

Oblique collision in the northeastern Caribbean from GPS measurements and geological observations

“…In order to address these problems, we have combined GPS data sets collected by collaborating U.S. and French institutions in Hispaniola, the Bahama Platform, and the Lesser Antilles. GPS measurements were first carried out in the northeastern Caribbean in 1986 at a total of six sites on the Bahamas Platform (TURK), southern Cuba (GTMO), St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (SCRX) and three sites in Hispaniola (ROJO, FRAN, CAPO [ Dixon et al , 1991]) (Figures 1 and 3).…”

Relative Motion between St. Croix and the Puerto Rico-Northern Virgin Islands Block Derived from Continuous GPS Observations (1995–2014)

“…GPS stations were installed in the northeastern Caribbean as early as 1986 for the purpose of studying plate tectonics [35]. These sites were reoccupied for several times in the following years [27].…”