National WaveForm Archive (NWFA)
The National WaveForm Archive (NWFA) is the national repository for all digital seismic, hydroacoustic, and infrasonic waveform data generated by NRCan and other co-operating agencies.
All data in the archive can be requested through our FDSN web service. For a description of the web service please refer to the FDSN web service specification version 1.1. This is the de facto international standard for the exchange of seismic waveform data, so it is supported by software platforms such as obspy.
Note, the FDSN web service can be used under Earthquakes Canada Usage Guidelines. Usage of the service and data in publications should cite the service according to our citation instructions.
The Archive contains:
- Event-related waveforms captured by regional telemetered seismic networks in Eastern and Western Canada (ECTN/WCTN) and local telemetered networks located in Charlevoix, Quebec (CLTN) and Sudbury, Ontario (SLTN) from 1975 to 1995.
- Digitized events from the Yellowknife Seismic Array (YKA) since 1976
- Continuous data from the Yellowknife Array (YKA) since August 1989
- Continuous data from the CNSN since its inception in 1992
- Quasi-continuous data from various special deployments
- Continuous data from the POLARIS network since 2002
- Numerical acceleration data from Strong Motion deployments in Miramichi, NB 1982; Nahanni, NT 1985-86; and Saguenay, QU 1988
Data is freely available from the deployments listed above, subject to NRCan's End-User Agreement for Digital Data.
- Policy for distribution of CNSN waveform data
- Use the recommended citation for CNSN data
- Contact us for further information