2025-01-11

Short-Period Seismic Nodes: A Revolution in Seismological Research

Transforming seismic research with portable, cost-effective, and efficient technology.

Introduction

Short-period seismometers are emerging as a critical innovation in seismology, enabling large-scale, ultra-dense array studies. Renowned for their portability, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency, these nodal seismometers provide enhanced capabilities for regional earthquake cataloging and subsurface velocity structure characterization.

A research team from China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) conducted a comparative study on the performance of SmartSolo IGU-16HR 3C short-period seismic nodes against the National Broadband Seismometer. This study, conducted between February 2022 and May 2023, highlights the efficiency and reliability of these instruments in seismic research.

Comparison table of Broadband Seismometer and SmartSolo Seismic Nodes, including price, deployment, distance interval, and frequency band for geophysical exploration.

Experimental Setup

Station Deployment

Four observation points in Hubei Province with existing National Broadband Seismometers.
Instruments: National Broadband Seismometer and IGU-16HR 3C (5Hz).

Four polar plots showing earthquake monitoring data with seismic activity represented by blue dots around a central black triangle, with red circles at 30 and 60 degrees.

Observation Parameters

Duration: February 2022 – May 2023
Sampling Rate: 100Hz

Methodology

Comparison of far-field P-wave absolute amplitudes.
P-wave receiver function amplitude analysis.
P-wave polarization value assessment.
Ambient noise cross-correlation and phase velocity dispersion curve comparisons.

Satellite view showing locations of SmartSolo nodes for earthquake monitoring, marked by red triangles with labels WHN, WHA, DYE, and XNI.

Key Findings

Far-Field P-Wave Amplitudes

The far-field absolute amplitude of P-waves recorded by the IGU-16HR 3C demonstrated:

Good Consistency: Comparable results with the National Broadband Seismometer across multiple frequency bands (0.1Hz-3Hz).
Minimal Time Offset: Within 0.02 seconds.

Seismograph showing seismic waves at different frequencies (2-3Hz, 1-3Hz, 1-2Hz, 0.5-1Hz, 0.1-0.5Hz) for earthquake monitoring. — Comparison of far-field P-wave absolute amplitudes across different frequency bands National Broadband Seismometer (Red) vs. IGU-16HR3C 5Hz (Blue)

P-Wave Receiver Functions

Frequency Range: 0.05-3Hz.
Similarity: The amplitude and phase differences between the two instruments exhibited a standard deviation of less than 2%.

Seismograph showing broadband and IGU-16HR3C 5Hz seismic data for geophysical exploration and earthquake monitoring. — Quality control of cross-correlation for XNI station receiver functions Receiver function (Black); Stacked averaged receiver function (Red)

Seismograph showing broadband and IGU-16HR3C 5Hz seismic data for geophysical exploration and earthquake monitoring at WHA, WHN, and XNI. — Comparison of P-wave receiver functions
National Broadband Seismometer (Red) vs. IGU-16HR3C 5Hz (Blue)

Seismic data showing standard deviation over time for WHA, WHN, and XNI, useful for earthquake monitoring and geophysical exploration. — The standard deviation of P-wave receiver functions from two instruments

P-Wave Polarization

Period: 0s-6s.
Velocity Variations: Apparent S-wave velocity curves showed a maximum difference of 0.1 km/s with a standard deviation within 6%.

Broadband and IGU-16HR3C 5Hz seismic data for WHA, WHN, and XNI, showing Vs.app (km/s) vs. Period (sec) for geophysical exploration. — Figures a – c: The apparent S-wave velocity variations for all events recorded by the National Broadband Seismometer;
Figures d – f: The apparent S-wave velocity variations after stacking averaging by the National Broadband Seismometer;
Figures g – i: The apparent S-wave velocity variations for all events recorded by the IGU-16HR3C 5Hz;
Figures j – l: The apparent S-wave velocity variations after stacking averaging by the IGU-16HR3C 5Hz.

Comparison of SmartSolo nodes and Broadband seismometers for WHA, WHN, and XNI, showing Vs.app (km/s) vs. Period (s) for seismic survey. — Comparison of apparent S-wave velocity variation curves
National Broadband Seismometer (Red) vs. IGU-16HR3C 5Hz (Blue)

Standard deviation (SD) vs. Period (s) for WHA, WHN, and XNI, showing seismic activity and geophysical data. — The standard deviation of S-wave velocity variation from two instruments

Ambient Noise Analysis

Cross-Correlation Functions: High consistency between the instruments within the 0.1-0.5Hz range.
Phase Velocity Dispersion: IGU-16HR 3C data aligned well with the National Broadband Seismometer and regional reference curves.

Seismic data from SmartSolo nodes showing waveforms at different distances and lag times across various frequency bands (0.05-0.1 Hz, 0.1-0.5 Hz, 0.5-1 Hz, 1-2 Hz) for geophysical exploration. — Cross-correlation functions of ambient noise data for six station pairs
National Broadband Seismometer (Red) vs. IGU-16HR3C 5Hz (Blue)

Broadband phase velocity data from SmartSolo seismometers plotted against period, showing different station pairs and a reference curve for seismic analysis.

IGU-16HR3C 5Hz phase velocity data from SmartSolo seismometers plotted against period, showing different station pairs and a reference curve for seismic analysis. — National Broadband Seismometer and IGU-16HR3C 5Hz (Scatter plots)
Reference phase velocity curve for the region (Blue)

Conclusion

The study underscores the reliability of SmartSolo IGU-16HR 3C short-period seismic nodes in seismic research:

Consistency: Comparable performance to the National Broadband Seismometer in amplitude, phase, and velocity measurements.
Efficiency: Cost-effective and suitable for large-scale, dense array deployments.

Short-period nodal seismometers, such as the SmartSolo IGU-16HR 3C, represent a significant advancement in seismology. With ongoing research and innovation, these instruments are poised to drive major breakthroughs in earthquake monitoring and seismic research.

Short-Period Seismic Nodes: A Revolution in Seismological Research

Introduction