PNSN Seismometers

Seismometers are instruments that measure ground motion at a specific location. The ground motion caused by earthquakes includes a wide range of amplitudes, from a few millimicrons to several meters. It can be vertical (moving up and down) and horizontal (moving east to west or north to south). Because of this variability, different kinds of seismometers have been developed over the years that will record specific frequency bands. In addition, each sensor can be configured (or programmed) to constrain its response to specific frequencies and amplitude ranges. At the PNSN, we use three types of seismometers, short period, broadband, and strong motion sensors.