Edward Pigot Seismic Observatory

Edward Pigot Seismic Observatory (EPSO), Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia

Axis	Long-period sensors	Short-period sensors
	EPSO Volksmeter Sensor - North-South - Velocity	EPSO S-6000 Geophone - North-South - Velocity
N-S
	EPSO Volksmeter Sensor - East West - Velocity	EPSO S-6000 Geophone - East-West - Velocity
E-W
		EPSO S-6000 Geophone - Vertical - Velocity
Z
	EPSO Array
	N
Z
	W	E
Z

	Last 7 days of EPSO observations
Sensor	Volksmeter (long-period horizontal)	S6000 (short-period triaxial)	Willmore (short-period vertical)	BB-13 (broadband vertical)	EPSO Array (3-elements, vertical)

EPSO's Volksmeter sensor records long-period horizontal motions whereas the EPSO geophones record short-period horizontal and vertical ground motions. The Volksmeter is more sensitive to teleseismic (i.e. distant) events, such as those from Indonesia and the Pacific, whereas the geophones generally detect relatively local events within NSW, such as Hunter Valley mine explosions. The Volksmeter measures calibrated North-South and East-West components of ground motion, whereas the geophones measure North-South, East-West and Vertical motions.

Another private seismic station is located at Swansea, Central Coast, NSW (SWAN), 305km southeast of EPSO. Comparison between Coonabarabran and Swansea provides a good cross check that a EPSO detected event is 'real', and not due to some local instrument disturbance. The US Geological Survey (USGS) coordinate and process data from a global network of seismographs, and these data are transmitted in real time to the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory, New Mexico. Within minutes of a seismic event occurring anywhere in the world, notifications are broadcast via the superb USGS Earthquake Notification Service. Some usefully nearby on-line USGS-network stations are located at:

Station Identifier	Place	Distance and bearing from EPSO	P-wave travel time from EPSO
CTAO	Charters Towers, Qld, Australia	1277km @ 345.9°	2:46
SNZO	South Karori, New Zealand	2530km @ 123.3°	4:58
NWAO	Narrogin, WA, Australia	3008km @ 257.9°	5:43
MBWA	Marble Bar, WA, Australia	3137km @ 283.8°	5:54
SWAN	Swansea, NSW, Australia	305km @ 132.4°	48s

The following table presents seismograms from the above stations compared with observations from EPSO, along with observations from the private station at Swansea, NSW . Click on the images below for full sized seismograms.

MBWA - Marble Bar (3137km WNW of EPSO)	EPSO (N-S Axis) - Coonabarabran, NSW	CTAO - Charters Towers (1277km NNE of EPSO)

NWAO - Narrogin (3008km W of EPSO)	EPSO (E-W Axis) - Coonabarabran, NSW	SWAN - Swansea, NSW - (305km SE of EPSO)

EPSO (Z Axis, Willmore) - Coonabarabran, NSW	EPSO (Z Axis, BB-13) - Coonabarabran, NSW	SNZO - South Karori (2530km SE of EPSO)

See something on the traces? Check them against latest observations from:-

Geoscience Australia - List All earthquakes, from anywhere, detected by Geoscience Australia- may take 1-3 days for details to be posted.
IRIS - Seismic Monitor - Map, World An eye catching world map showing current earthquake events.
EPSO records of hydro-acoustic T-phase events
EPSO records of a North Korean nuclear test
EPSO current microseismic noise
Major NSW Mines

Other useful links:
International Registry of Seismograph Stations - a list of all the world's seismic observatories.
AEES - The Australian Earthquake Engineering Society
NZSEE - The New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering
   Google Earth/kml files:
   International Registry of Seismograph Stations - whereabouts of all the world's seismic observatories.
   Australian Atlas of Operating Mines
EPSO Geomagnetic Observations
EPSO All-sky camera (nighttime operation only)
          Interested in receiving prompt email notifications of recent events? The USGS have an excellent and fast Earthquake Notification Service, which users may customise to monitor a specific geographic region. Generally within an hour of an event occurring anywhere within the world, a detailed email report will be transmitted to a registered user. A truly wonderful service, and gratis.

A few of my favourite seismic places are listed here. For suggestions and comments regarding this Web site, please email me.