Characterization of Distant and Moderate Earthquakes with Inexpensive MEMS Sensors: Application to the M_w 6.3, 29th...

In this work, we evaluate the suitability of a new MEMS sensor prototype, called ASX1000 (ADEL s.r.l., Modena, Italy), for the monitoring of distant and moderate seismic events. This device is an inexpensive capacitive accelerometer with a relatively low level of instrumental noise; it can record both local and far seismic events. An experimental network built with ASX1000 MEMS, located in northern Italy, was able to record the M_w 6.3 Petrinja earthquake that occurred in December 2020; it had an epicentral distance of more than 350 km. We retrieved the strong motion parameters (PGA, pseudo-absolute velocity, and pseudo-absolute spectral acceleration) from the acceleration time histories recorded by the MEMS sensors. The obtained parameters were compared with the ones obtained by the closer high-quality seismometers, belonging to the INGV National Seismic Network. The comparison to the highest-quality sensors confirms a reasonable agreement of the inferred parameters. This work suggests that-in the near future-MEMS sensors could be adopted to integrate the existing seismic network. A denser coverage of sensors can sample more accurately the seismic wavefield, taking into account the large spatial variability of local geology and the relative differences in seismic response.