Research Objectives:
Seismology, perhaps as much as any other science, is a global enterprise. Seismic waves resulting from earthquakes and other events can only be interpreted through simultaneous measurements at strategic points all over the planet. The measurement and analysis of these seismic waves are not only fundamental for the study of the earthquakes, but also serve as the primary data source for the study of the Earth's interior. To help establish the facilities required for this crucial scientific mission, IRIS (the Incorporated Research Institution for Seismology) was created in 1985.
IRIS is a consortium of universities with research and educational programs in seismology. Ninety-seven universities are currently members, including nearly all U.S. universities that run seismological research programs. Since 1986, IRIS (through a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey) has developed and installed the Global Seismographic Network (GSN). The GSN now has about 135 broadband, digital, high-dynamic-range, seismographic stations around the world, all with real-time communications.
The GSN seismic equipment at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and at Palmer Station, Antarctica, was installed jointly by IRIS and ISGS, who together continue to operate and maintain them. The GSN sites in Antarctica are vital to seismic studies of Antarctica and the Southern Hemisphere. The state-of-the-art seismic instrumentation is an intrinsic component of the NSF effort to advance seismology and Earth science globally.
