The UK broadband seismology network

Alan Douglas considers the origins and the future of one of Britain's most successful seismic networks.
Broadband seismology is a powerful tool for geophysical research. Over the past decades, most seismometers have recorded only part of the spectrum of frequencies of vibration from earthquakes. Broadband seismology brings far greater research rewards. The UK has been a pioneer in its use and has had a broadband network for around 30 years. During this time, Britain has developed the technology and made significant research advances in the fields of earthquake source mechanisms, deep-Earth structure, detection and location of distant earthquakes and explosions, and nuclear explosion detection. The network has also played a part in the development of the Data Centre of the Observatories and Research Facilities for European Seismology. But changes in funding mean that the future of this pioneering network is now uncertain.