The Role of Saudi National Seismic Network for Mitigating Seismic Hazard in Saudi Arabia

Since 1985, earthquake data has been recorded through many government agencies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by King Saud University and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). It was necessary to identify a single agency concerned with monitoring seismic activity in the Kingdom, Cabinet decision No. 228 dated 13/8/1425H assigning the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) to carry out this pivotal role. The SGS has been selected for this mission due to the trained human expertise available and the scientific and material capabilities that enable it to carry out this role. Since then, the SGS has begun establishing the Saudi National Seismic Network (SNSN) starting with a simple number of 13 monitoring stations, then expanding over time until the number of these stations reached about 235 seismic monitoring stations by the year 2023. Care was taken to distribute these stations across all regions of the Kingdom to cover seismically active areas, and the data recorded by these stations is transmitted via satellite communication to the network’s main center in SGS’s headquarters in Jeddah. Recently, the SNSN has been using two implemented systems for data analysis, ATLAS program of Nanometrics company and Antelope program of Kinemetrics company. The role of the SNSN was not limited only to monitoring seismic activity in and around the Kingdom but expanded to monitor volcanic activity in the volcanic fields (Harrats) in the Arabian Shield region. This monitoring started by establishing sub-networks including monitoring of thermal water change in wells existing in and around the Harrats, monitoring of gas emissions, and monitoring the crustal deformations by GPS stations. In addition to monitoring seismic activity in and around the Kingdom, which was the main goal of establishing the SNSN, it was necessary to exploit the national network’s data to conduct detailed research studies. These studies include seismic hazard assessment and risk mitigation, as well as studies to determine the shallow and deep structures of the Earth in the Kingdom.