Broadband sensors

Broadband (or BB) sensors are especially sensitive to low frequency energy, and are broadly defined as any instrument capable of reliably recording wave periods greater or equal to 10 seconds. This makes them useful for analysis and detection of teleseismic earthquakes as well as techniques involving ambient noise. However they are also well-suited for measuring high frequency energy, limited only by the Nyquist frequency of the data logger's sampling rate. The downside to broadband sensors is usually their cost, size, and fragility relative to short period sensors.

Nanometrics

etc

Trillium Compact 120s

Trillium Compact Posthole 120s

Trillium Compact 20s

etc

Short period sensors

Short period (SP) sensors have limited sensitivity to longer periods, but are otherwise perfectly suitable for earthquake or other high frequency analysis. They are generally defined as any instrument that begins to lose sensitivity at periods larger that 10 seconds. They tend to be smaller and more mechanically robust to broadband sensors.

Lennartz Electronic LE-3D Lite (MkII)

etc

Sub-paragraph

etc

Channel and Instrument conventions

We follow FDSN guidelines for sensor channel and type naming conventions, outlined at SAGE / IRIS