IRIS Data Sources

Seismic Data Sources

Permanent Networks

Global Seismographic Network

The IRIS Global Seismographic Network (GSN) is one of the four major components of IRIS Consortium. The goal of the GSN is to deploy 128 permanent seismic recording stations uniformly over the earth's surface. Learn more about the GSN

FDSN

The International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks (FDSN) is a global organization. Its membership is comprised of groups responsible for the installation and maintenance of broad-band seismographs either within their geographic borders or globally. Learn more

Regional Networks

Several regional networks contribute data to the IRIS archive or have open access to their data sets. List of regional networks

Virtual Networks at the IRIS DMC

A virtual network is a group of stations and/or seismic networks.
List of virtual networks

Temporary Networks and Experimental Data

PASSCAL

The Program for the Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL) is another one of the four major componenets of IRIS. PASSCAL operates a pool of over 400 portable seismic instruments to record active source reflection data, active source refraction data or natural source recordings of earthquakes. Learn more about PASSCAL

Other Sources

IRIS also has an archive of other temporary deployments from several different sources including:

  • United States Geological Survey (USGS)
  • Seismic Equipment InfraStructure in the UK (SEIS-UK)
  • U.S. National Ocean Bottom Seismograph Instrument Pool (OBSIP)
    [submit OBSIP data - active or passive source]
  • and other academic institutions.

Use SeismiQuery to see a list of available data. You can search for assembled data sets (i.e.those data sets not in SEED format - mostly active source data) or data sets in SEED format. You request these two types of data sets differently:

Event Catalog Data

National Earthquake Information Center, World Data Center for Seismology, Denver, Colorado

The NEIC is responsible for determining, as rapidly and as accurately as possible, the location and size of all destructive earthquakes that occur worldwide; and collecting and providing an extensive seismic database.

International Seismological Centre, United Kingdom

The ISC is a non-governmental organization charged with the final collection, analysis and publication of standard earthquake information from all over the world.

Search event catalogs »