EarthScope consists of three observatories: USArray, the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) and the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD).
USArray station install in Mineral, Virginia
USArray is a continental-scale seismic and magnetotelluric observatory designed to study the continental lithosphere and deep Earth structure over a wide range of scales.
Plate Boundary Observatory permanent GPS station
The Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) is a geodetic observatory designed to study deformation across the active boundary between the Pacific and North American plates in the western United States.
The San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) is a 3-kilometer deep hole drilled directly into the San Andreas Fault designed to provide the first opportunity to directly observe the conditions under which earthquakes occur and to collect rocks and fluids from the fault for study.