Upgrading the Ukrainian seismic network: first results of data processing and earthquake monitoring

Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is currently undertaking efforts to rebuild and modernize the national seismic network, aiming to improve earthquake monitoring and data quality across the country. With the support of international collaborations, including the ORFEUS Integration Grant and the SNEMU project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, several seismic stations have recently been upgraded, and new stations have been installed. Within the framework of the ORFEUS Integration Grant, five seismic stations in the Carpathian region were modernized, and waveform data from these upgraded stations have been integrated into the European Integrated Data Archive (EIDA). In parallel, four new seismic stations were installed as part of the SNEMU project, expanding the national network coverage. Data from these newly deployed stations are openly available through the EarthScope Data Management Center.

As part of this modernization process, we are implementing routine seismic data processing and event analysis using the SeisComP software framework. This work includes waveform quality control, phase picking, event localization, and the development of a preliminary earthquake catalogue based on data from the upgraded stations. We present first results from a pilot dataset processed using recordings from the newly modernized network. Although the resulting catalogue represents an initial stage of processing and includes a limited number of detected events, it demonstrates the operational capability of the upgraded infrastructure and provides a first overview of recent seismicity in Ukraine.

Until recently, seismic data acquisition within the IGPH network was operational, while systematic data processing was limited due to the ongoing situation in the country. Data from upgraded stations were primarily archived without routine analysis. Prior to 2022, earthquake detection at IGPH relied on continuous manual processing using outdated software. As part of the current modernization efforts, we have initiated the transition toward a modern, automated seismic data processing workflow for earthquake detection and cataloging, with SeisComP selected as the core processing framework. In parallel, further expansion of the seismic network through the installation of additional stations is planned for the coming years, although specific timelines remain uncertain.

Subbotin Institute of Geophysics acknowledges funding support from the Data Integration Grant (ORFEUS, Geo-INQUIRE, Grant Agreement 101058518). Instruments and technical support were provided by GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences and GIPP-GEOFON, GaiaCode and Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Géoazur. The SNEMU project is implemented in partnership with the Science and Technology Center of Ukraine, the U.S. Department of Energy, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Michigan State University, and the EarthScope Consortium. T. Amashukeli is supported by the Philipp Schwartz Initiative for Researchers at Risk.