Introducing a tutorial for legacy seismograms preservation preceded by a short review of the long way to seismic recording

Abstract

Legacy seismograms contain a wealth of original and scientifically valuable data that remain largely underutilized. Their preservation, dissemination, and use are therefore key issues, as their waveforms can provide new insights for contemporary research. To date, efforts by international bodies such as IASPEI and the ESC have focused primarily on the latter two aspects. In contrast, the preservation of original records has largely depended on local initiatives undertaken by the institutions that own them. In this context, we present an initiative developed by the ESC Working Group on legacy data: a short manual on seismogram preservation. The manual is primarily intended to assist smaller institutions in addressing this challenge, while also fostering discussion and promoting the development of more consistent and standardized methodologies across institutions. We also take this opportunity to outline the evolution of seismic recording, from antiquity to the early twentieth century, highlighting the technical challenges that had to be overcome and the significant advances achieved for seismological science. Also, we provide a brief overview of the efforts carried out by IASPEI and the ESC in the field of legacy seismograms.