RESEARCH-QUALITY SEISMIC MONITORING VIA LOW-COST EDUCATIONAL SEISMIC NETWORKS

In 1999, the Ohio Seismic Network (OhioSeis) installed 15 low-cost, vertical broadband seismic stations at colleges, universities and other volunteer institutions throughout the state. These data are available in near-real time via the Internet. The network has since grown to a total of 23 stations and provides a previously unavailable capability of earthquake detection and precision location within the state. Since inception of the network, nine in-state events, ranging between 2.0 and 4.5 mbLg have been located. Portable instruments installed after the Ashtabula (26 January 2001; 4.5 mbLg) event confirm the accuracy of the initial mainshock and aftershock locations. The network records numerous teleseismic events and thousands of quarry blasts in Ohio as well as in surrounding states. It was discovered that network instruments could track the ground-contact phase of tornadoes (Vincent, et al., 2002). The rising popularity of ‘educational’ seismic networks has increased coverage in regions that were previously devoid of seismic instrumentation. The Ohio Seismic Network has demonstrated that low-cost instrumentation can record research-quality seismic data that can be used to precisely locate small, local earthquakes as well as record regional and teleseismic events. Comparison of phase picks on Ohio Seismic Network instruments with NEIC picks on USNSN instruments at station ACSO confirms the quality and accuracy of these low-cost OhioSeis instruments.