The USArray component of EarthScope is a continental-scale seismic observatory designed to provide a foundation for integrated studies of continental lithosphere and deep Earth structure. Over the wide frequency range of seismic waves transmitted through the Earth (hundreds of seconds to ten cycles per second), the sensors of the permanent and transportable seismic and magnetotelluric arrays will resolve the smallest background motions at the quietest of sites, while remaining “on scale” for all but the largest ground motions from regional earthquakes.
Observatories
USArray Project Pages
Instrument Data
Observatory Facility
The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology is a university research consortium dedicated to exploring the Earth's interior through the collection and distribution of seismographic data. IRIS programs contribute to scholarly research, education, earthquake hazard mitigation, and the verification of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Support for IRIS comes from the National Science Foundation, other federal agencies, universities, and private foundations.
USArray Instrumentation Network
USArray will consist of a portable array of 400 seismometers that will be deployed across the United States over a 10 year period. In addition a "flexible component" array will be available to be deployed in areas where a denser network of seismometers is required. The Magnetotelluric Transportable (MT) Array comprises shorter-period investigations at hundreds of sites in the continental USA. Data from these sites are collected on a regular schedule through recovery of data storage modules.
A network of seismometers deployed across the U.S. to record earthquakes and provide high-resolution images of the continent's structure and the Earth's deep interior.
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Each USArray station will include the instrumentation necessary to continuously sense, record, and transmit ground motions from a wide range of seismic sources, including local and distant earthquakes, artificial explosions, volcanic eruptions, and other natural and human-induced activities. Over the wide frequency range of seismic waves transmitted through the Earth (hundreds of seconds to ten cycles per second), the sensors of the permanent and transportable seismic and magnetotelluric arrays will resolve the smallest background motions at the quietest of sites, while remaining “on scale” for all but the largest ground motions from regional earthquakes.