Real-Time Volcano Seismic Monitoring at Santa Ana Volcano

Field Deployment

A real-time seismic monitoring network was deployed at Santa Ana Volcano in western El Salvador through a collaboration among the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI), the National University of El Salvador, and the Ministry of Natural Resources of El Salvador under the leadership of Dr. Thomas Goebel. The deployment was designed to improve near-source seismic coverage around an active volcanic system while also supporting science communication and community education related to earthquake and volcanic hazards. The field campaign included station installation, site characterization, telemetry setup, and integration of the network into continuous monitoring workflows.

Network Management

The network supports continuous real-time waveform acquisition for detection and characterization of local seismicity in the Santa Ana volcanic region. Ongoing work includes network operation, waveform quality control, event detection from continuous data streams, seismic phase picking, and construction of a local earthquake catalog. These efforts are intended to improve catalog completeness, phase consistency, and operational readiness for monitoring low-magnitude volcano-tectonic and related seismic events.

Research Component

The research component focuses on extracting quantitative constraints on subsurface structure and seismic source distribution from the evolving earthquake catalog. Current analyses include phase-based event location, catalog refinement, and seismic velocity inversion to improve resolution of hypocentral structure beneath Santa Ana. These workflows support interpretation of spatiotemporal seismicity patterns, characterization of active volcanic and tectonic processes, and development of a stronger framework for real-time monitoring and hazard assessment in western El Salvador.

Related Resources

Paper: A Community Seismic Network for the Early Detection of Seismic Activity Close to Active Volcanoes in Western El Salvador
Project Highlight: Community Seismic Network at Santa Ana Volcano
Project Site: Volcano Seismology at Memphis