A Seismic Network for the Valley of Mexico: Present Status and Perspectives

Valley of Mexico (VM) Seismic Network—Red Sísmica del Valle de México (RSVM) is a regional digital network deployed by Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). It started at 1996 with some vertical short period instruments scattered across the valley, which since 2006 were gradually replaced by three-component intermediate, broadband, and more recently accelerographic instruments. It presently counts 28 stations, representing a contribution to the new generation of regional seismic networks in Mexico with the goal of densifying the coverage throughout the known seismic zones in the country. Along 11 yrs of operation with three component sensors, this network has recorded numerous local and regional earthquakes. Seismicity recorded by RSVM has illuminated major seismic areas inside the valley and the style of faulting of this activity, having for the first time a focal mechanism catalog of this zone of the country. The recent upgrading of 16 out of 31 stations with accelerometers has provided, in real time, the strong ground motion in Mexico City generated by great earthquakes (M > 7) that occurred outside of the valley, having important implications to civil protection purposes. The results obtained up to now highlight the need to complete the upgrade of the rest of the stations, as well as densifying the network to deepen our knowledge of the structure of VM