AdriaArray Seismic Network – status in April 2023

With the advent of plate tectonics in the last century, our understanding of the geological evolution of the Earth system improved essentially. The internal deformation and evolution of tectonic plates remain however poorly understood. This holds in particular for the Central Mediterranean: The formerly much larger Adriatic plate is recently consumed in tectonically active belts spanning at its western margin from Sicily, over the Apennines to the Alps and at its eastern margin from the Hellenides, Dinarides towards the Alps. High seismicity along these belts indicates ongoing lithospheric deformation. It has been shown that data acquired by dense, regional networks like AlpArray provide crucial information on seismically active faults as well as on the structure and deformation of the lithosphere. The Adriatic Plate and in particular its eastern margin have however not been covered by a homogeneous seismic network yet.

Here we report on the status of AdriaArray – a seismic experiment to cover the Adriatic Plate and its actively deforming margins by a dense broad-band seismic network. Within the AdriaArray region, currently about 990 permanent broad-band stations are operated by more than 40 institutions. Data of 97% of these stations are currently available via EIDA. In addition to the existing stations, 414 temporary stations from 24 mobile pools are deployed in the region achieving a coverage with an average station distance of 50 – 55 km. The experiment is based on intense cooperation between local network operators, mobile pool operators, field teams, ORFEUS, and interested research groups. Altogether, more than 50 institutions are participating in the AdriaArray experiment. We will report on the time schedule, participating institutions, mobile station pools, maps of temporary station distribution with station coverage and main points of the agreed Memorandum of Collaboration. The AdriaArray experiment will lead to a significant improvement of our understanding of the geodynamic causes of plate deformation and associated geohazards.