Seismic stations

Andorra Research + Innovation manages three seismic stations in Andorra:

• La Rabassa seismic station, located in Roca de Pimes: This station is part of the Catalan Seismic Network of the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC). Installed since October 2009, it integrates a seismograph with the sensor located 30 meters deep.

• Santa Coloma accelerometric station: This station is also part of the Catalan Seismic Network of the ICGC. The sensor, in this case, is an accelerometer positioned on the surface, which has been recording seismic activity since September 2010.

• Pic de Padern seismic station: This other seismic station is part of the Réseau de Surveillance Sismique des Pyrénées (RSSP) of the Midi-Pyrénées Observatory (OMP). It integrates a seismograph, but unlike the Rabassa seismic station, it is a surface sensor (located only 50 cm deep). This station has been in operation since October 1991.

The integration of the two types of devices—seismograph and accelerometer—allows the monitoring and tracking of earthquakes with an epicenter in Andorra, or in areas close to our territory and which may be perceived by the population. In the case of an earthquake perceived in Andorra, the seismic information obtained is key for all the country's emergency bodies (Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management of the Government of Andorra, Fire Brigade of Andorra, Andorra Police, Andorran Health Care Service, Cities Circulation Services, etc.) and the press and the country's authorities, as it gives an idea of the location and extent of possible damage to the population caused by a certain earthquake.