National Seismological Service
Mexico’s national organization for earthquake monitoring, seismological research, and earthquake information.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The National Seismological Service, known in Spanish as Servicio Sismológico Nacional or SSN, is Mexico’s national organization for observing, recording, cataloguing, and studying earthquake activity. It operates within the Institute of Geophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), with its principal base in Mexico City. The service is not a commercial consumer brand; its public-facing identity represents a national scientific and monitoring institution whose information supports research, public awareness, emergency management, and the wider understanding of seismic hazards in Mexico. The SSN was established by the Mexican federal government on September 5, 1910, during an international period of expanding scientific cooperation and systematic earthquake observation. Its first nine monitoring stations were installed between 1910 and 1923. Seven of those original stations subsequently continued operating, making the network one of the oldest continuously operating seismological systems in North America. In 1929, responsibility for the service was transferred to UNAM, and in 1948 it became part of the university’s Institute of Geophysics. This institutional history placed national earthquake monitoring within a major research university while preserving its public-service role. The service maintains earthquake records extending back to January 20, 1900, including paper documentation and a catalogue containing more than 201,000 earthquakes according to the referenced account. Its seismic database has been developed to a particularly high quality since 1958. Historical records and other seismic information have been undergoing digitization so that they can be preserved and made available through the Earth Sciences Library and related scientific resources. The SSN also functions as a research platform, principally for UNAM scientists but also for researchers from the National Polytechnic Institute and state universities. The modern Mexican national seismological network combines broadband instruments, observatories, and specialized monitoring in the Valley of Mexico. The referenced network description identifies 98 seismic observatories, including 68 broadband stations and 30 stations in the Valley of Mexico. Broadband stations transmit data by satellite in real time, continuously sending measurements whether or not an earthquake is occurring. The transmitted information includes measurements such as ground velocity, acceleration, and GPS position, with data sampled at 100 samples per second. Portable stations have also been deployed in Mexico City, contributing to an unusually dense level of observation for a major Latin American city. The SSN’s work includes detecting and locating earthquakes, estimating their characteristics, preserving the national seismic record, supporting scientific analysis, and communicating earthquake information. Its activities are especially important because Mexico is exposed to significant seismic hazards, including earthquakes associated with active tectonic zones and the Pacific margin. The organization has cooperated with international and specialist bodies including the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, the United States Geological Survey, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. A redundant monitoring center in Pachuca, Hidalgo, has also been planned to provide operational resilience outside Mexico City’s risk area. The service’s continuing role is therefore both scientific and infrastructural: it supplies long-term national observations while maintaining the monitoring capability needed during seismic events.
History
The National Seismological Service was created by the Mexican federal government on September 5, 1910, as part of an international movement to establish systematic observation of earthquake activity. Its founding came at a time when governments and scientific institutions were building instrument networks to compare seismic events across national boundaries and improve knowledge of the causes and effects of earthquakes. Between 1910 and 1923, the service installed its first nine earthquake-monitoring stations. Seven of the original stations later continued operating, giving Mexico one of North America’s longest-running seismological observation systems. These early installations established the institutional and documentary basis for the national earthquake record and enabled Mexico to build a sustained series of instrumental observations rather than relying only on historical accounts. In 1929, the service was transferred to the National Autonomous University of Mexico. It subsequently became part of UNAM’s Institute of Geophysics in 1948. The move integrated national monitoring with university-based research and education. The SSN has since served both as an operational observatory and as a research center, supporting scientists at UNAM as well as researchers from the National Polytechnic Institute and state universities. The service preserves records reaching back to January 20, 1900. Its holdings include a large earthquake catalogue and paper records dating from the early twentieth century. The referenced account reports more than 201,000 earthquakes in the catalogue and describes the period since 1958 as having a particularly high-quality seismic database. Digitization work has been undertaken to preserve the historical material and make it accessible through the Earth Sciences Library and related scientific infrastructure. As instrumentation and telecommunications improved, the SSN developed a modern national network. The described system comprises 98 seismic observatories, with 68 broadband stations and 30 stations in the Valley of Mexico. Broadband stations transmit data by satellite in real time and continue sending measurements continuously, including when no earthquake is taking place. Their data include ground-motion measurements and GPS information, with sampling at 100 observations per second. Portable stations have also been installed in Mexico City, creating dense coverage in a city exposed to substantial earthquake risk. The SSN has cooperated with international and specialist organizations including the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, the United States Geological Survey, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. These relationships support the exchange of seismic information and scientific expertise. To strengthen operational continuity, an alternate monitoring center has been planned in Pachuca, Hidalgo, outside the risk zone of Mexico City. Across its history, the service has therefore evolved from a small group of early observatories into a national digital monitoring and research system, while retaining responsibility for Mexico’s long-term earthquake record.
- 1958
High-quality seismic database period begins
[1]The service’s seismic data are described as forming a particularly high-quality database from 1958 onward.
- 1948
Integrated into the Institute of Geophysics
[1]The service became part of UNAM’s Institute of Geophysics, linking its national monitoring role with university research.
- 1929
Transferred to UNAM
[1]Responsibility for the service moved to the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
- 1923
Initial national station network completed
[1]Nine initial earthquake-monitoring stations had been installed during the period from 1910 to 1923; seven later continued operating as long-running observatories.
- 1910
National Seismological Service founded
[1]The Mexican federal government established the service on September 5 as part of an international effort to monitor seismic activity.
Expansion of the modern national network
[1]The network expanded to 98 observatories, including broadband stations and dedicated stations in the Valley of Mexico, with real-time satellite data transmission.
Products and positioning
A national scientific and public-service institution providing authoritative earthquake monitoring, seismic records, and research support for Mexico.
Monitoring infrastructure
National seismological network
The SSN operates Mexico’s national network of seismic observatories and stations. The referenced description identifies 98 observatories, including 68 broadband stations and 30 stations in the Valley of Mexico. The network continuously collects measurements used to detect, locate, and characterize earthquakes across the country.
Scientific data · 1900
Earthquake catalogue and historical archive
The service preserves Mexico’s accumulated seismological record, including records dating from January 20, 1900, a catalogue containing more than 201,000 earthquakes according to the referenced material, and paper archives. Historical data have been undergoing digitization for preservation and access through Earth-science information resources.
Data service
Real-time broadband seismic data
Broadband stations transmit seismic measurements by satellite in real time, continuously rather than only after an earthquake. The referenced network description includes velocity, acceleration, and GPS-position information, with measurements sampled at 100 samples per second.
Public information service
Public earthquake information
The SSN provides earthquake-related information for the public and scientific community, including information derived from national monitoring and the organization’s earthquake records. Its public-service role complements its research and data-preservation functions.
Brand decisions
1948
Integration into UNAM’s Institute of GeophysicsStrategyBackground
The institution continued developing within UNAM after its 1929 transfer.
Action taken
The service became part of the university’s Institute of Geophysics.
Aftermath
The arrangement consolidated the SSN as both a national monitoring organization and a scientific research center.
1929
Transfer of the service to UNAMStrategyBackground
National earthquake monitoring was moved from direct federal-government administration into the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Action taken
UNAM assumed responsibility for the National Seismological Service.
Aftermath
The service’s operational monitoring role became integrated with university-based geophysical research and education.
- Development of redundant monitoring capacityStrategy
Background
Because Mexico City is exposed to seismic risk and hosts important monitoring infrastructure, operational redundancy has been considered necessary.
Action taken
An alternate monitoring center has been planned in Pachuca, Hidalgo.
Aftermath
The proposed center is intended to provide a backup location outside Mexico City’s risk zone, although the referenced material does not state that construction or commissioning has been completed.
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