Strong-motion Observation Networks of NIED: K-NET and KiK-net

Hiroyuki Fujiwara, Shin Aoi, Takashi Kunugi, Shigeki Adachi

National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention
3-1 Tennodai Tsukuba Ibaraki 305-0006, JAPAN
ABSTRACT
After the Hyogoken-nanbu (Kobe) earthquake on January 17, 1995, new national projects
were started to improve the Japanese seismic observation systems. Numerous numbers of strongmotion seismographs were newly installed to realize uniform networks covering whole Japan.
NIED (National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention) has constructed
the nation-wide seismic observation networks. K-NET (Kyoshin network) consists of 1034
strong-motion seismographs settled on ground surface covering whole Japan. KiK-net (KIBAN
kyoshin network) is the sub-set of Hi-net (High-sensitivity seismograph network) and consists of
660 strong-motion observation stations installed both on the ground surface and at the bottom of
boreholes. The strong-motion records obtained by the K-NET and the KiK-net are available on
the internet.
1. Introduction
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster caused by Hyogoken-nanbu (Kobe) earthquake
on January 17, 1995 killed more than 6,400 people. Following on the lessons learned from this
disaster, Earthquake Disaster Management Special Act was enacted in July 1995 to promote a
comprehensive national policy on earthquake disaster prevention. In accordance with this act,
Japanese government established the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion
(HERP). Under the direction of the HERP, new national projects were started to improve the
Japanese seismic observation systems. As the first project, in the next year of the Hyogokennanbu earthquake, NIED has completed a strong-motion network consisting of 1,000 stations
covering whole Japan (Figure. 1(a)). The network is called as K-NET (Kyoshin network)
(Kinoshita [1]), where Kyoshin is the Japanese word to mean strong-motion.
The HERP set up the Fundamental Survey and Observation Plan for Earthquake Research in
August 1997. In short, this plan is called as the KIBAN project, where KIBAN is a Japanese
word to mean fundamental or infrastructure. The goal of this plan is to evaluate long-term
earthquake occurrence probability through understanding the earthquake phenomena and
complete a national seismic hazard map through understanding the generation mechanism of
strong-motions. The followings were selected as the core projects to be promoted with higher
priorities.
(1) Seismic observation (high-sensitivity observation and broadband observation)
(2) Observation of strong-motion
(3) Observation of crustal movement (continuous GPS observation)
(4) Survey of active faults in land and coastal regions
In the basis of this plan, NIED has constructed the following nation-wide seismic observation
networks. Hi-net (High-sensitivity seismograph network) (Obara [2]) is the network for
microearthquake observation consisting of 740 stations. The seismometers are installed at the
bottom of boreholes to reduce the noise. F-net (Full-range seismograph network) (Fukuyama [3])
is the network for broadband seismic observation. The seismometer of the F-net is installed in a
vault for stable observation. KiK-net (Kiban-Kyoshin network) is the strong-motion observation

(a)

(b)

Figure.1. Distribution of the strong-motion observation stations in Japan. The observation

stations of K-NET are shown in (a) and those of KiK-net are shown in (b).

network consisting of 660 stations (Figure. 1(b)) and is the sub-set of the Hi-net. The strongmotion seismographs are installed both on the ground surface and at the bottom of boreholes.
NIED has a role not only to operate these networks but also to work as a data center providing
the data obtained from these networks.
2. K-NET
Just after the 1995 Hyogoken-nanbu (Kobe) earthquake, NIED decided to construct a nationwide strong-motion observation network: K-NET (Kyoshin network) as an original project of
NIED. The K-NET consists of 1,034 strong-motion observation stations with a spacing of 25km,
the Data Management Center of NIED in Tsukuba, and a mirror station in Osaka. The spacing of
the K-NET enables us to record strong-motions in the epicentral region of a crustal earthquake
with more than magnitude of 7 anywhere in Japan. The observatory is installed in a site of 3
meters square. It consists of a house made of fiber reinforced plastic, a concrete base on which a
seismograph is installed, facilities for electric power and a telephone line (Figure 2). The strongmotion seismographs (K-NET95) used in the K-NET are three component accelerographs and a
data logger having a 24-bit A/D converter and a 8MB flash memory that can record waveforms
(sampling frequency of 100Hz) of 2.5 hours. The event recording is started with a threshold level
of 2.0 Gal and ended with 30 seconds continuation of the level lower than 0.1Gal keeping
minimum recording length of 120 seconds. Resolution of the K-NET95 is more than 108dB and
the maximum measurable acceleration is 2,000 Gal. The overall frequency response
characteristics of the K-NET95 is flat from DC to 30Hz. The frequency response characteristics
of higher than 30Hz is approximated by the characteristics of 3-pole Butterworth filter with a
corner frequency of 30Hz. Timing in the K-NET95 is calibrated by GPS signal in the accuracy of

Figure 2. The observatory of the K-NET is installed on a site 3 meters square. It commonly
consists of a house made of fiber reinforced plastic, a concrete base on ehich a seismograph is
installed, facilities for electric power and telephone line (ISDN) with lightning arresters, and
fence. At sites where the temperature becomes less than 20C, the concrete base is constructed
80cm below the ground surface.

5msec. At each K-NET station, the velocity structure beneath the site down to a depth of 20m
was investigated by downhole measurement. The information on soil structures including Nvalues, bulk density, P and S wave velocity profiles and soil profile is provided.
3. KiK-net
At most of Hi-net stations, strong-motion seismographs are installed both on the ground
surface and at the bottom of the observation boreholes (the depths are more than 100m), which
form the KiK-net. KiK-net consists of 660 stations covering whole Japan (Figure 3). While the
K-NET stations are mainly constructed at the thick sedimentary sites, most of the KiK-net
stations locate on the rock or thin sedimentary sites because the Hi-net is primarily designed for
the purpose of highly sensitive seismic observation. Although many of KiK-net stations have
boreholes of 100-200m in depth, deeper observation wells were drilled at some specific sites if
necessary. Instrumentation of the KiK-net is basically the same as that of the K-NET95 used in
the K-NET. The difference is a sampling frequency of 200Hz and 85MB memory storage that
can hold 6 component waveforms of 6.5 hours in total. The event trigger system of the data

Figure 3. Observatory of the Hi-net and KiK-net. To realize stable high sensitivity seismic
observation avoiding surface noise, seismographs are settled at the bottom of borehole of 100m
or more at each station. Short period three component velocity seismometers, three component
accelerometers and two component tiltmeters are installed at the bottom of the observation well.
Accelerometers are installed on the ground surface as well as at the bottom of the wells.

recorder is controlled using the signal of the downhole seismometers. The event recording is
started with a threshold level of 0.2Gal and ended with 30 seconds continuation of the level
lower than 0.1Gal, keeping minimum recording length of 120 seconds. Downhole loggings were
performed at most stations and the velocity structures as well as soil conditions are available for
those stations.

Figure 4. The procedure of the K-NET data retrieval and release.

4. Data Management Center of NIED

The technical staffs of the Data Management Center of NIED in Tsukuba maintain the K-NET
and KiK-net systems. Strong-motion records obtained from K-NET and KiK-net are collected
through the dial up operations using 30 telephone lines (INS64) from the Data Management
Center of NIED in Tsukuba. When an earthquake occurs, the Japan Meteorological Agency
(JMA) determines and issues a quick report on JMA intensities and source parameters of the
earthquake through a JMA satellite if the JMA observatories record JMA intensity more than 3.
Upon receiving the quick report, the distribution of maximum acceleration is estimated
automatically by using an empirical attenuation relation and acquisition starts to retrieve the
strong-motion records of necessary stations. The procedure of the K-NET data retrieval and
release is shown in Figure 4.
Dial up operation often encounters troubles by jamming of communication traffics and the
data acquisition considerably delays especially in case of large earthquakes. To overcome this
problem, the renewal of the K-NET to improve the data acquisition system that adopts dial out
operation is currently in progress.
The collected waveform records of all K-NET and KiK-net stations are stored in the strongmotion database at the Data Management Center of NIED and all data are provided to
researchers, engineers and general public through the Internet under fully open policy (Figure 5).
Users can select specific events or stations to download the waveform data. They can also
browse, select, and retrieve various information such as distribution map of acceleration, paste

up of waveforms, station maps, site information including seismic velocity profiles and soil
condition, and so on. The URL of K-NET is http://www.k-net.bosai.go.jp/, and KiK-net is
http://www.kik.bosai.go.jp/.
There is no restriction on using the K-NET or the KiK-net data, but if you make a dissertation
or article through the using of the K-NET or the KiK-net data, please accede following.
(1) Specify in the article that the K-NET or the KiK-net data are used to make the article.
(2) Send a copy of the publication to following address;
Strong-Motion Network Laboratory,
National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention,
3-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0006, Japan.

Figure 5. K-NET and KiK-net data are available on the Internet. The URL of K-NET is
http://www.k-net.bosai.go.jp/, and KiK-net is http://www.kik.bosai.go.jp/. Users can select
specific events or stations to download the waveform data. They can also browse, select, and
retrieve various information such as distribution map of acceleration, paste up of waveforms,
station maps, site information including seismic velocity profiles and soil condition.

5. Examples of strong-motion records

5.1 The 2000 Western Tottori earthquake (MJMA7.3)
The western Tottori earthquake (MJMA7.3) occurred on 6th October 2000 at 13:30 (JST). The
2000 Western Tottori earthquake was the first large crustal earthquake of magnitude more than 7
since the operation of nation-wide strong-motion networks K-NET and KiK-net started.
In the Data Management Center of NIED, the data acquisition for K-NET and KiK-net begun
from a few minutes after the earthquake occurred. The dial up operation, however, encountered
troubles by jamming of communication traffics. The communication troubles had continued for
more than 3 hours and the data acquisition from the stations near the epicentral region
considerably delayed. Most of the acceleration records were collected in midnight, about 12hours
after the earthquake occurred. Finally, we obtained the acceleration records from 307 stations of
K-NET and 217 stations of KiK-net.
The nearest station to the earthquake fault, TTRH02 (KiK-net, Hino-station, epicentral
distance 8km) recorded peak vector acceleration of 1135Gal on the ground surface and 653Gal at
the bottom of a 100m borehole. These acceleration waveforms are shown in Figure 6. The
distribution of observed peak accelerations obtained from K-NET and KiK-net is shown in
Figure 7.

Figure 6. Acceleration waveforms recoded at

TTRH02 (KiK-net, Hino-station, epicentral
distance 8km). Waveforms at the bottom of
the borehole (depth of 100m), and waveforms
on the ground surface are shown.

Figure 7. The distribution of observed peak

accelerations obtained from K-NET and KiKnet. The star shows the epicenter. White
circles show locations of aftershocks.

5.2 The 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake (MJMA8.0)

The Tokachi-oki earthquake (MJMA8.0) struck the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on
26th September 2003 at 4:50 (JST). The 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake was the first large
interplate earthquake recorded by the nation-wide strong-motion networks, K-NET and KiK-net.
Most of the acceleration records from 655 stations (K-NET and KiK-net) were collected in 5
hours by dial up operation from the Data Management Center of NIED. The maximum peak
acceleration of 988Gal, obtained by vector summation of three components, recorded at station
HKD100 (K-NET). The distributions of observed peak acceleration and peak velocity on the
ground surface are shown in Figure 8(a) and 8(b), respectively. The rupture process was
estimated from strong-motion data of 15 stations in the source region using multi-time linear
inversion method (Honda [4]). Estimated total slip distribution is shown in Figure 9.
(a)

(b)

Figure 8. The distribution of observed peak acceleration and peak velocity on the ground
surface are shown in Figure 8(a) and 8(b), respectively.

Figure 9. Estimated total slip distribution.

Figure 10. Distribution of the stations

installed the new strong-motion seismograph,
K-NET02. The blue circle indicates a station
in the area where the strong-motions due to
the Nankai or Tonankai earthquakes are
warned. The red circle indicates a station in
the area where the strong-motion due to the
Miyagi-oki earthquake is warned.

Figure 11. The current system for K-NET95

(top). Dial-up from the DMC to observation
stations. Dial-up operation is automatically
triggered with information from the JMA via
satellite line. The new system for K-NET02
(bottom). Dial-out from observation stations
to the DMC. Data transmission is
automatically triggered by detection of
strong-motion at each station.

6. Renewal of the K-NET

The K-NET was constructed after the Hyogoken-nambu earthquake in January 1995 and the
operation of the K-NET began in June 1996. Eight years have passed since the K-NET started
and many strong-motion records for large earthquakes are obtained. Many researchers have used
strong-motion records of the K-NET in their studies. During these eight years the progress in
information technologies is remarkable and new technologies become to be available.
The NIED has developed the K-NET using the new technologies. The new seismographs for
the K-NET have been developed and installed at 443 observatories mainly in the southwestern
Japan where strong-motion due to the Nankai and Tonankai earthquakes are warned (Figure 10).
The main features of the new strong-motion seismograph are functions for real time data
communications (Figure 11) and processing JMA seismic intensity. We expect that the time to
acquire strong-motion records from observatories to the Data Management Center in Tsukuba is
shortened by using the new seismographs. The operation will be started in June 2004.

6.1 Outline of the new strong-motion seismograph

The new strong-motion seismograph (K-NET02) is consists of three modules of a sensor
module, a measurement module, and a communications module (Figure 12). It connects with the
Data Management Center through an ISDN line. The main features of a new strong-motion
seismograph are functions for processing JMA seismic intensity and near real time data
communications. Although the strong-motion seismograph currently used (K-NET95) does not
calculates seismic intensity, a new strong-motion seismograph functions as a formal seismic
intensity meter that suited the official approval of the Japan Meteorological Agency. If a new
strong-motion seismograph detects a strong-motion, it will communicate with the Data
Management Center automatically in dozens of seconds. Furthermore, the full-scale was
improved from 2000gals to 4000gals. The dynamic range of an AD conversion is 132dB. Since it
is programmable, the contents of processing of a measurement module and a communication
module have various functions, such as accumulation of continuous data, and are flexibly easy to
extend.

Sensor module
3 component
accelerarometer

GPS

AC100V

UPS

10BASE

DC12V
Measurement module

A/D converter
sensor controll
recording event data
battery back-up
basic function of seismograph

CPU1(Linux OS)

DC5V

10BASE

Router

Digital
telephone line

Communication module

calculation of JMA intensity

recording event data
recording continuous data
realtime data communication
advanced processing

CPU2(Linux OS)

Figure 12. Block diagram of the new strong-motion seismograph, K-NET02. The K-NET02 is
consists of a sensor module, a measurement module and a communication module. An UPS, a
GPS antenna and a dial-up router are also installed with K-NET02. A tri-axial accelerometer,
FBA-ES-DECK (Kinemetrics Inc.) is built into a sensor module. The measurement module
functions as a conventional strong-motion seismograph with high precision of observation. The
communication module processes advanced tasks, for example, calculation of the JMA seismic
intensity, recording continuous data and real-time data transmission. At the time of a power
failure the measurement module can control power supply for the router and the communication
module to save a battery power.

6.2 Difference in records of old and new strong-motion seismograph

With change of the full-scale, a scale factor changes by the old and new strong-motion
seismograph. Since the scale factor is specified in the header of data, users should refer to this
for analysis. Moreover, the anti-alias filter was changed into the FIR filter with a cutoff
frequency of 30Hz from the IIR filter of the Butterworth characteristic. Some difference may
arise in record length by the difference in trigger algorithm. Comparison of K-NET95 and KNET02 are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Comparison of K-NET95 (Old type) and K-NET02(New type)

Seismograph
Maximum measurable Acc.
Dynamic range (RMS/F.S.)
Scale factor
Power consumption
Sensor (Accelerometer)
JMA seismic intensity
Data communication
Recording capacity
Programmable by user
Recording continuous data

K-NET95Old type
2000Gal
19bit (114dB)
0.24 mGal/COUNT
16W
V403-BT (Akashi)

RS-232C
8MB

K-NET02New type
4000Gal
22bit (132dB)
0.63 mGal/COUNT
35W (5W in low power mode)
FBA-ES-DECK (Kinemetrics)

IP ( + RS-232C)
512MB
(Linux OS)

Old system for K-NET95

Dial up from the DMC to
observation stations
Serial communication using
ISDN modem
None

New system for K-NET02

Dial out from observation stations
to the DMC
IP connection using ISDN router

Data Communication
Data acquisition
Type of communication
Measures for congestion
Number of lines at DMC
The time required collecting
data from observatories to
the DMC.

The time required for the

data release

Make connection before

congestion
460 lines (INS1500: 20 lines)
Data acquisition is begun
automatically just after triggering
and all of data are collected within
5 minutes.

24 lines (INS64)
Data acquisition is begun
after receiving a quick
report from JMA. The time
required collecting data
depends on the magnitude
of earthquake. It usually
takes several hours.
Several hours half a day
Within 10 minutes

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The technical staffs in the Data Management Center of NIED curry out the maintenance of the
K-NET and the KiK-net. We wish to thank them for their cooperation.
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