Workreport 2010-39

GPS Operations at Olkiluoto in 2009

Kallio, U., Nyberg, S., Koivula, H., Jokela, J., Poutanen, M. & Ahola, J.

English

35

The GPS based deformation studies have been made at the investigation areas of Posiva since 1995, when the network of ten GPS pillars was established at Olkiluoto. One pillar in the investigation area belongs to the Finnish permanent GPS network, FinnRef?.

28 GPS measurement campaigns have been carried out at Olkiluoto since 1995. According to the time series of the GPS results 1/3 of the baselines at Olkiluoto have statistically significant change rates. However, the observed movements are smaller than ? 0.20 mm/a.
There are five pillars, which have statistically significant horizontal velocities at Olkiluoto. These local velocity components are small but taking into account the standard deviations the largest velocity components seems to be reliably determined.
 
At Olkiluoto a baseline for electronic distance measurements (EDM) was built in 2002. The baseline has been measured using EDM instruments in connection to the GPS observations. Changes in he difference between the GPS and EDM results indicate the systematic change in GPS results. No corrections based on only one baseline were not applied to GPS vectors.

The GPS network at Olkiluoto was extended in 2003. The new pillars were built close to Kuivalahti village and on a small island of Iso Pyrekari. According to the geological evidence it is expected that a fracture zone is located between the new stations, thus enabling the determination of possible deformations along the fracture zone. The new pillars have been observed since 2003 and now we have computed the first deformation analysis from the six years data. Four new permanent stations will be established in summer 2010 at Olkiluoto.  

We have automated the processing of the campaign data by using the Bernese processing engine (BPE) together with our own Perl scripts.

The local crustal deformations have been studied in GeoSatakunta project, too. This GPS network is located in Cities of Pori and Rauma and their neighbouring municipalities. Two new pillars have been established near Olkiluoto investigation area in October 2005. The repeated measurements at these pillars connect the Olkiluoto and GeoSatakunta networks.

Including the new pillars the local GPS network at Olkiluoto consists of 14 stations. The whole network will be measured twice a year. The EDM measurements will be done in connection to the GPS observations. Even if the studies are concentrated at Olkiluoto, the GPS observations at Kivetty and Romuvaara investigation areas will be made every two years. Because the stability of these networks has been confirmed by GPS observations in previous years, we may regard the observations at Kivetty and Romuvaara as a reference for the stability of our GPS determinations. 

Deformation studies, GPS measurements, crustal movements.

GPS Operations at Olkiluoto in 2009 (pdf) (1.8 MB)