With seismic and magnetotelluric instruments extending completely across the United States, USArray will capture high-resolution images of the structure of the continental lithosphere and deeper mantle at scales ranging from local to global.
EarthScope 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.
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 a wide range of scales.
More Info
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. more ›