Rio de Janeiro – With funds from the Studies and Projects Funding Body (Finep), an agency for innovation connected to the Ministry of Science and Technology, and from Petrobras, totalling 2.6 million reals (US$ 1.2 million), the National Observatory is scheduled to inaugurate today (14th), at its campus in Rio de Janeiro, a new building to make the institution a global reference in the area of geophysics.
During the event, to include the presence of minister Sergio Rezende, the current head of the National Observatory, Sergio Fontes, will be inaugurated for a new term of four years. The International Research Centre in Geophysics should operate in the new building, which goes by the name of researcher Lélio Gama, one of the founders of the Physical Research Centre and of the Institute of Pure Applied Mathematics.
Sergio Fontes said that thanks to the Finep and Petrobras funding, the National Observatory now has state-of-the-art equipment for completion of projects like the Seismographic Network of the South and Southeast of Brazil and the pool of Geophysical Equipment of Brazil, among others.
The process for implementation of the seismographic network is beginning. Throughout the year, the expectation is to install at least five or six stations equipped with seismographs in military areas, so that the devices may be protected. In total, there should be around 11 stations throughout the country. The network should monitor tremors in the South and Southeast of Brazil, where the largest part of the population is located, and is also aimed at increasing safety. The network has an estimated cost of 6.1 million reals (US$ 2.8 million), financed by Petrobras.
"It is, unfortunately, still not possible to clearly forecast an earthquake. What may be done is the discovery of regions where they tend to occur more frequently," said Fontes. He added that in future, with the advance of research and equipment installed, these phenomena might be forecasted. Seismologic figures may allow for advances in geological knowledge of the global surface, helping understand the evolution of sedimentary basins, for example, explained Fontes.
The pool of Geophysical equipment of Brazil, in turn, should supply the research needs of the National Observatory itself and of universities throughout the country. The project is operating in preliminary phase and should enter official operation within the next three months. Petrobras financing is as high as 14 million reals (US$ 6.5 million). The pool should be used by several institutions that integrate the geotechnical theme network of the Brazilian state-owned energy company.
Another project that should contribute to make the observatory into a global centre for reference in geophysics is the Brazilian Network of Magnetic Observatories. Currently, the institution only operates continually with two magnetic observatories. One of them is located in the city of Vassouras in Rio de Janeiro and the other in Tatuoca (PA).
Starting this year, the idea is to have another eight permanent stations in Brazil and 15 mobile ones. "Brazil should have very significant coverage in terms of studies of the Earth’s magnetic fields." In total, three should be 25 observatories, including the two that already exist.
*Translated by Mark Ament
