Mediterranean Very Broadband Seismographic Network (MedNet)

The Mediterranean Very Broadband Seismographic Network (MedNet) constitutes a backbone network of highest quality broadband stations in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean region is characterised by a very complex tectonic environment and by high seismicity due to the over-all convergence of two major plates. Therefore, and to ensure regional coverage at a time where availability of seismic broadband instruments was still scarce, the MedNet project established this network primarily as a scientific research infrastructure of high-quality, state-of-the-art seismographic instrumentation at (particularly) seismically quiet and thermally stable sites. Initially, such remote sites and related logistical constraints implied, that data were recorded on local storage media at these stations and became available only after recovery and physical shipment. Later, several technological upgrades established real-time data connectivity and made these stations available for seismic monitoring purposes in Italy and other the Euro-Mediterranean countries. The MedNet project, which operates and maintained the network, is led by the National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (Italian: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, INGV), but receives significant contributions from many cooperating geophysical institutes from the countries involved. All stations transmit sensor data in real time to the INGV datacentre in Rome. Data is distributed through the Orfeus European Integrated Data Archive (EIDA) federation and International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks (FDSN) standard protocols under an open definition compliant license.