{{Short description|Geophysical science support organization}} {{Multiple issues| {{Promotional|date=December 2024}} {{COI|date=December 2024}} }} {{Infobox organization |image = 180px |name = EarthScope Consortium |founded = {{Start date|2023|01|1}} |headquarters = Washington, D.C. |services = Research, Education |website = [https://www.earthscope.org www.earthscope.org] }}

'''EarthScope Consortium''' is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit geophysical science support organization.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nonprofit Explorer |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521362650 |website=ProPublica |date=9 May 2013 |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref> EarthScope Consortium operates two of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) major research facilities, the NSF Geodetic Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (NSF GAGE) and the NSF Seismological Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (NSF SAGE),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/lfo/docs/major-facilities-list.pdf |title=NSF Research Infrastructure List: Major Facilities - Revised 1/31/2024 |website=www.nsf.gov/ |access-date=2024-04-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Facilities and Infrastructure |url=https://new.nsf.gov/focus-areas/infrastructure |website=NSF |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref> which provide geophysical instrumentation, data access, and services to support geoscience research and education.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://new.nsf.gov/focus-areas/infrastructure |title=Facilities and Infrastructure |website=www.nsf.gov/ |access-date=2024-04-16}}</ref>

EarthScope Consortium's corporate headquarters are located in Washington, D.C., and an instrument facility is located in Socorro, New Mexico.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.earthscope.org/contact-us/ |title=EarthScope Contact Us |website=www.earthscope.org |access-date=2024-06-04}}</ref>

==Background==

EarthScope Consortium was formed on January 1, 2023 through the merger of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) and UNAVCO.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/iris.edu/united/home |title=Joining Forces |website=sites.google.com/ |access-date=2024-04-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zawacki |first1=E.E. |last2=Bendick |first2=R. |last3=Woodward |first3=R. |date=2023 |title=Advancing geophysics: IRIS and UNAVCO merge to form EarthScope Consortium. |journal=Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists |volume=4 |issue=1 |article-number=e2023CN000227 |doi=10.1029/2023CN000227 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Carnegie's Lara Wagner elected board chair of the newly founded EarthScope Consortium |url=https://carnegiescience.edu/news/carnegies-lara-wagner-elected-board-chair-newly-founded-earthscope-consortium |website=Carnegie Science |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref> Both founded in 1984, IRIS and UNAVCO supported the U.S. scientific community's access to data, instrumentation, and educational resources within seismology and geodesy, respectively.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Stewart W. |date=1987 |title=IRIS—A university consortium for seismology. |journal=Reviews of Geophysics |volume=25 |issue=6 |pages=1203–1207 |doi=10.1029/RG025i006p01203 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ware |first1=Randolph H. |date=1995 |title=The University NAVstar COnsortium: global positioning for geosciences research. |url=https://unavco.knowledgebase.co/assets/180/GPSforGeosciencesResearch.pdf |journal=IGS Workshop "Special Topics and New Directions" |access-date=2024-04-02}}</ref>

The "EarthScope Consortium" name is connected to IRIS and UNAVCO's previous collaboration in the 2003–2018 NSF-funded EarthScope Program, which included operation of the USArray and Plate Boundary Observatory components.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Feder |first1=T. |date=2014 |title=Scoping out the North American continent, 10 years on. |journal=Physics Today |volume=67 |issue=1 |page=19 |doi=10.1063/PT.3.2237 |bibcode=2014PhT....67a..19F }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine |date=2020 |title=A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time. |location=Washington, DC |publisher=The National Academies Press |page= |doi=10.17226/25761 |isbn=978-0-309-67600-7}}</ref>

==EarthScope Primary Instrument Center==

The EarthScope Primary Instrument Center (EPIC) (formerly known as the IRIS PASSCAL Instrument Center)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aster |first1=R. |last2=Beaudoin |first2=B. |last3=Hole |first3=J. |last4=Fouch |first4=M. |last5=Fowler |first5=J. |last6=James |first6=D. |date=2005 |title=IRIS Seismology Program marks 20 years of discovery. |journal=Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union |volume=86 |issue=17 |pages=171–172 |doi=10.1029/2005EO170002 |bibcode=2005EOSTr..86..171A }}</ref> is located in Socorro, New Mexico at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and houses central instrumentation maintenance and engineering activities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the EPIC {{!}} EarthScope Primary Instrument Center |url=https://www.passcal.nmt.edu/ |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=www.passcal.nmt.edu}}</ref>[[File:Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Program for Array Studies of the Continental Lithosphere Instrument Center.jpg|thumb|The EarthScope Primary Instrument Center (EPIC, formerly the IRIS PASSCAL Instrument Center) at the New Mexico Tech campus.]]

EPIC supports geophysical network operations in global and regional scientific networks, including:<ref name=":0" />

* The Network of the Americas (NOTA) * Global Seismographic Network (GSN) * Global GNSS Network (GGN) * Borehole Strainmeter Network (BSM) * The Polar Network Operations funded by the NSF Office of Polar Programs (OPP)

==NSF GAGE Facility== EarthScope Consortium is the operator of the NSF's Geodetic Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (GAGE), previously operated by UNAVCO since the facility's creation in 2013.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1261833 |title=Award Abstract # 1261833 2013-2018 UNAVCO Community Proposal Geodesy Advancing Geosciences and EarthScope: The GAGE Facility |website=www.nsf.gov/ |access-date=2024-04-16}}</ref> The NSF GAGE Facility funding is designated to support:<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2314379&HistoricalAwards=false |title=Award Abstract # 2314379 Enabling Discoveries in Multiscale Earth System Dynamics: Geodetic Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (GAGE) - EAR Scope |website=www.nsf.gov/ |access-date=2024-04-16}}</ref>

*The Network of the Americas (NOTA), an international geophysics sensor network of more than 1,200 continuously operating instruments. These instruments include geodetic GPS/GNSS stations and borehole strain, seismic, and tilt instruments. NOTA integrates stations from pre-existing GPS networks, including the Plate Boundary Observatory (which spans a range including Alaska, Continental U.S., and Puerto Rico), TLALOCNet (Mexico), and COCONet (Caribbean and the neighboring area).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Herring |first1=T.A. |last2=Melbourne |first2=T.I. |last3=Murray |first3=M.H. |last4=Floyd |first4=M.A. |last5=Szeliga |first5=W.M. |last6=King |first6=R.W. |last7=Phillips |first7=D.A. |last8=Puskas |first8=C.M. |last9=Santillan |first9=M. |last10=Wang |first10=L. |date=2016 |title=Plate Boundary Observatory and related networks: GPS data analysis methods and geodetic products |journal=Reviews of Geophysics |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=759–808 |doi=10.1002/2016RG000529 |bibcode=2016RvGeo..54..759H |doi-access=free }}</ref> Data from this network are used for various fields of Earth science research, hazard monitoring (including the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory<ref>{{cite web |title=YVO includes nine partner agencies |url=https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/yvo-includes-nine-partner-agencies |website=YVO |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref>), and precision positioning applications like surveying or agriculture.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mattioli |first1=G.S. |last2=Phillips |first2=D.A. |last3=Hodgkinson |first3=K.M. |last4=Walls |first4=C. |last5=Mencin |first5=D.A. |last6=Bartel |first6=B.A. |last7=Charlevoix |first7=D.J. |last8=Crosby |first8=C. |last9=Gottlieb |first9=M.J. |last10=Henderson |first10=B. |last11=Johnson |first11=W. |last12=Maggert |first12=D. |last13=Mann |first13=Doerte |last14=Meertens |first14=C.M. |last15=Normandeau |first15=J. |last16=Pettit |first16=J. |last17=Puskas |first17=C.M. |last18=Rowan |first18=L. |last19=Sievers |first19=C. |last20=Zaino |first20=A. |date=2020 |title=The GAGE Data and Field Response to the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence |journal=Seismological Research Letters |volume=91 |issue=4 |pages=2075–2086 |doi=10.1785/0220190283 |bibcode=2020SeiRL..91.2075M }}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021AGUFM.G15C..09O/abstract |title=Response of Crustal Deformation in Lake Mead due to Current Drought of 2021 |last1=Oyedele |first1=E. |last2=Fu |first2=Y. |last3=Martens |first3=H. |last4=Doyle |first4=B. |last5=Xue |first5=L. |date=December 2021 |conference=American Geophysical Union |bibcode=2021AGUFM.G15C..09O}}</ref> *Stations in the NASA Global GNSS Network (GGN),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/site/jsgt/ |title=Jet Propulsion Laboratory Space Geodesy Task |website=www.jpl.nasa.gov/ |access-date=2024-05-25}}</ref> which contributes to the International GNSS Service (IGS) responsible for the International Terrestrial Reference Frame.<ref>{{cite web |title=Contributing Organizations |url=https://igs.org/contributing/ |website=International GNSS Service |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.G33A1123D/abstract |title=NASA Global GNSS Network (GGN) Status and Plans |last1=Doelger |first1=S. |last2=Sklar |first2=J. |last3=Blume |first3=F. |last4=Meertens |first4=C.M. |last5=Mattioli |first5=G.S. |date=December 2015 |conference=American Geophysical Union |bibcode=2015AGUFM.G33A1123D}}</ref> *Instrumentation and data access for geodesy research driven by Principal Investigators. *Maintenance of some United States Geological Survey (USGS) Volcano Hazards Program GPS/GNSS stations. *Data operations for the GPS/GNSS component of the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reddy |first1=E. |last2=Valenzuela |first2=J. |last3=Yavorsky |first3=N. |last4=Guizzetti |first4=N. |last5=Schroeder |first5=C. |date=2024 |title=Earthquake Early Warning Riskwork: ShakeAlert's Operation with Institutionalized Uncertainties |journal=Natural Hazards Review |volume=25 |issue=2 |doi=10.1061/NHREFO.NHENG-1750 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Faster alerts for California megaquakes: Early-warning system gets major upgrade |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-06-05/californias-earthquake-early-warning-system-gets-upgrade-to-better-estimate-magnitude |newspaper=LA Times |date=5 June 2024 |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Real-time satellite data improves earthquake early warning system in the United States |url=https://www.usgs.gov/news/state-news-release/real-time-satellite-data-improves-earthquake-early-warning-system-united |website=USGS |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.shakealert.org/ |website=ShakeAlert |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref> *Education, workforce development, and outreach related to geodesy and geoscience.<ref>{{cite web |title=Discovering earthquake hazard regions of California using GPS data and code |url=https://concord.org/blog/discovering-earthquake-hazard-regions-of-california-using-gps-data-and-code/ |website=Concord Consortium |date=7 October 2024 |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref>

==NSF SAGE Facility==

EarthScope Consortium is the operator of the NSF's Seismological Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (SAGE), previously operated by IRIS since the facility's creation in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1261681&HistoricalAwards=false |title=Award Abstract # 1261681 Seismological Facilities for the Advancement of Geoscience and EarthScope |website=www.nsf.gov/ |access-date=2024-04-16}}</ref> The NSF SAGE Facility funding is designated to support:<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2310069&HistoricalAwards=false |title=Award Abstract # 2310069 Enabling Discoveries in Multiscale Earth System Dynamics: Seismological Facility for the Advancement of GEoscience (SAGE) |website=www.nsf.gov/ |access-date=2024-04-16}}</ref>

*Operation of the Global Seismographic Network (GSN) (jointly with the USGS). The GSN is a globally distributed seismic network of over 150 stations. The NSF SAGE Facility provides for maintenance of approximately one third of the GSN stations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ida.ucsd.edu/about-ida/project-ida-background/ |title=Project IDA Background |website=ida.ucsd.edu |access-date=2024-04-02}}</ref> The USGS, via the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory, operates the remainder of GSN stations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usgs.gov/centers/geologic-hazards-science-center/albuquerque-seismological-laboratory |title=Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory |website=www.usgs.gov |access-date=2024-04-02}}</ref> Data from this network are used for earthquake detection and research, imaging of the Earth's interior, and contribute to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization's (CTBTO) International Monitoring System.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davis |first1=P. |date=2024 |title=Development and operation of a global-scale seismographic network: The IRIS/USGS GSN. |journal=Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists |volume=5 |issue=1 |article-number=e2023CN000225 |doi=10.1029/2023CN000225 |doi-access=free }}</ref> *Archiving and distribution of seismological and other geophysical research data and data products. *Maintenance and deployment of seismic, magnetotelluric, and other portable instrumentation for Principal Investigator-led research projects. *Education, workforce development, and outreach related to seismology and geoscience.

==See also==

*Seismology *Geodesy *Geophysics *IRIS Consortium *UNAVCO *EarthScope

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Seismological observatories, organisations and projects Category:Geodesy organizations Category:Research organizations in the United States