Erica M. Lucas

To advance our understanding of various geophysical and glaciological processes in the polar regions, a combination of data collection, analysis, and modeling is required. Because field observations and data collection can help to inform seismic and geodynamic modeling efforts (and vice versa), I am involved in both aspects.

Polar Earth Observing Network (POLENET), 2025-2026

We had another great season at Union Glacier Camp in West Antarctica! This was the final science season for POLENET, a seismic and GPS network that began during the International Polar Year in 2007-08. The season was filled with many site decommissions, including 9 seismic decommissions and 4 GPS decommissions. Check out the POLENET field blog for more photos and details.

Erica digging up the orange dome covering the seismometer at Rambo Nunataks (RMBO)
Final days of the Rambo GNSS station
RMBO GNSS station on Dec 28, 2025 – it’s final ~week before decommission on Jan 7, 2026
Loading seismic gear into the plane after the PECA (Pecora Escparpment) site decommission
Twin Otter at the parked by the Whitmore Mountains seismic site (WHIT), Dec. 6, 2025
Flying along the coast in the Amundsen Sea Embayment
Howard Nunatak GNSS site and seismic site (near Twin Otter) – one of my favorite POLENET sites!

Pacific Coast Assessment for Faults and Earthquakes (PACSAFE) cruise, August 2025

I sailed on the PACSAFE cruise from August 5 – 24, 2025 to recover and deploy ocean bottom seismometers off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. We sailed on the CCGS John P. Tully.

OBS on the aft deck!
OBS in their boxes on the aft deck.
The Tully on a beautiful day in Nootka Sound – we took a day off from cruising to visit the Nootka Lighthouse, located on San Rafael Island.

Polar Earth Observing Network (POLENET), 2024-2025

I was a member of the POLENET field team for the ’24-’25 field season based out of Union Glacier Camp in West Antarctica. This season we visited 12 POLENET seismic / GPS sites and collected new seismic data from ten of the sites. For more pictures and details about the season on the POLENET field blog – https://polenet.org/2024-2025-field-season-progress/. Data from this season is being used to continue improving constraints on solid Earth structure and study seismicity arising from glaciologic, volcanic, and tectonic processes in the region.

We had to dig for two days to reach the seismic site on Thwaites Glacier (UPTW). Here we are removing electronics (stored in the orange box) from the site.
Sites that were serviced in the ’24-’25 season are marked with green checks.
A windy day servicing the GPS site located at Slater Rocks.

Polar Earth Observing Network (POLENET), 2023-2024

I was a member of the field team for the POLENET project in the 2023 – 2024 season. This season we were based out of Union Glacier Camp in the Ellsworth Mountains of West Antarctica. POLENET is an autonomous seismic and GPS network deployed across West Antarctica. The first POLENET stations were installed in 2007 and there are still ~20 backbone stations deployed in Antarctica. See the great POLENET field blog and my photos below for some more details on the work required to keep this network running!

To service and install seismic and GPS sites around West Antarctica, we make day trips on a Twin Otter plane. Here is the field team at Backer Island (located in the Amundsen Sea Embyament).
Map of POLENET seismic and GPS stations in West Antarctica. The ’23 – ’24 field season goal was to service all stations marked with a four-character-ID. Stations that were fully serviced are marked with green arrows, partial service with yellow. Erica and the team will return and service more stations in the upcoming ’24-’25 field season!


Servicing a GPS site on Inman Nunatak in the Hudson Mountains. From here, you can see the ocean and several other volcanoes in the Hudson Mountains, a Neogene volcanic province.
Digging for the DNTW seismic station – this station is located on Thwaites Glacier. We spent 2 days digging for the seismic station and luckily we were able to recover it!
Installing a new seismometer at a station near Byrd Camp
Swapping out seismic station batteries on a
windy day at Mt. Takahe
A sunny day in the Ellsworth Mountains