Since its foundation in 1904, l'Observatori de l'Ebre (OE) has operated, virtually uninterruptedly, different seismographs, being the oldest seismic station in Catalonia. Throughout the years more than 20 seismographs have been in operation. From the first Grablovitz, which was installed in 1904, to the last Wielandt-Strecksein STS-2 with a 24-Bit Quanterra Q680-LV digitizer, a large number of records have been accumulated, mostly on paper (the first in smoked paper, then photo paper, ink and thermal paper) and the most modern ones in digital format.
It took a great effort for the conservation and dissemination of this valuable and voluminous heritage, more than 100,000 seismograms, which the OE could not address by itself. It is with this intention, among others, that in June 2016 a collaboration agreement was signed between the OE and the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC), which is the dependent entity of the Department of Territory and Sustainability with competences on seismology and cartography, through which the scanning of the OE seismograms was started. This agreement has been renewed in 2017 and 2018 and has allowed the digitization of some series of seismograms, as well as the modernization of the OE seismic station.
The digitized seismograms can be visualized by selecting the name of the instrument in the following table, which in turn shows the different instrumentation that has been operating over the years in the OE. The links will lead you to ICGC pages, where the different seismograms are housed and where the conditions of use and the appointment of the sources are reported.
| Instrument | Years | Type |
Period (s) |
Components |
Mass (kg) |
Recording velocity (mm/minute) |
Amplificaction |
| Grablovitz | 1904-1918 | M | 13 | NE-SW/NW-SE | 12 | 5 | 8 |
| Vicentini Vertical | 1904-1936 | M | 13 | Z | 50 | 15 | 150 |
| Microsismograph Vicentini | 1904-1916 | M | 0.85 | N-S | 100 | 15 | 90 |
| 1904-1928 | M | 2.3 | E-W | 100 | 15 | 90 | |
| MainkaEbre | 1914-1941 | M | 14.8 | N-S | 1501 | 12 | 200 |
| Mainka Ebre | 1914-1938 | M | 7.8 | E-W | 157 | 12 | 110 |
| Vertical pendulum Ebre | 1914-1915 | M | (2.5) | NE-SW/NW-SE | 316 | 12 | |
| Vertical pendulum Ebre | 1915-1941 | M | 2.6 | N-S | 316 | 12 | 125 |
| Mainka Ebre N-S | 1942-1966 | M | 15.4 | N-S | 1500 | 12 | 275 |
| Mainka Ebre E-W | 1942-1966 | M | 10.8 | E-W | 1500 | 12 | 150 |
| Vertical pendulum | 1943-1961 | M | 2.5 | N-S | 635 | 12 | 230 |
| Zenithal pendulum | 1961-1966 | M | Z | 635 | 12 | ||
| Geotech 6102A + Lehner-Griffith GL-261 | 1965 -1967 | E | 15 | N-S | 15 | 60 | 50000 |
| Geotech 6102A + Lehner-Griffith GL-261 | 1965-1967 | E | 15 | E-W | 15 | 60 | 50000 |
| Geotech 4681A | 1966-1974 | E | 15 | Z | 15 | 60 | 50000 |
| Geotech6102A | 1966-1974 | E | 15 | N-S | 15 | 60 | 50000 |
| Geotech6102A | 1966-1974 | E | 15 | E-W | 15 | 60 | 50000 |
| Sprengnether S-5000V | 1969-2000 | E | 1.0 | Z | 11.2 | 15 | 1500 |
| Sprengnether S-5000H | 1968-2000 | E | 1.0 | N-S | 10.7 | 15 | 1500 |
| Sprengnether S-5000H | 1968-2000 | E | 1.0 | E-W | 10.7 | 15 | 1500 |
| SS-1 Ranger EROQ | 1987-2003 | E | 1.0 | Z | 1.45 | 60 | |
| SS-1 Ranger EROQ | 1991-2003 | E | 1.0 | N-S | 1.45 | 60 | |
| SS-1 Ranger EROQ | 1991-2003 | E | 1.0 | E-W | 1.45 | 60 |
Table adapted form Batlló & Ugalde, 2000 (Els sismografs de l'Observatori de l'Ebre. Actes de les V Trobades d'Història de la Ciència i de la Tècnica, Barcelona, Spain, 161-165). Type: M mechanical, E electromagnetic.
