Accessing Seismic Data

Accessing Seismic Data

Want to explore seismic activity recorded near Alva, Oklahoma? Use the IRIS URL Builder to generate visual plots from the OK035 seismic station, part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s GS network. Simply enter the appropriate station details, select motion channels, choose a date/time range, and plot your data instantly. 

Step By Step

  1. Go to: http://service.iris.edu/irisws/timeseries/docs/1/builder/
  2. Select the URL Builder tab
  3. Enter fields as outlined below for Alva’s seismic station

Seismic Data Information

Network: GS

Station: OK035

Location:

  • 00 (for broadband)
  • 20 (for strong motion)

Channels (for broadband only):

  • HHZ (vertical motion)
  • HH1 (north-south motion)
  • HH2 (east-west motion)

Channels (for strong motion only):

  • HNZ (vertical motion)
  • HN1 (north-south motion)
  • HN2 (east-west motion)

Start/End Times:

  • Select dates from the drop down menu
  • Modify the time to get at specific events (convert time to 24hr time, then add 6 hours)
    • Example: a 10:30 PM quake’s time on January 6th in Oklahoma should be T04:30:00 on January 7th in the search queue
  • Make sure “Plot” is selected from the Output option near the bottom right of the screen
  • Leave other fields/checkboxes as they are at first, you can experiment with them later to see what they do
  • The link at the bottom of the page will display the plot! This link can also be copied and shared with others.

Software for managing raw data: Dimas

Dimas uses the “miniseed” output data on the URL Builder described above. 


To access other seismic station data around the globe, go to http://ds.iris.edu/mda (or Google search IRIS MDA).  GS is the US Geologic Survey’s network.  Alva’s station is OK035.