Seismic test data and resolution analysis from the first borehole broadband seismometers at Mt. Etna, Sicily (Italy), as part of the SiC nano for PicoGeo project

In October 2021, GFZ installed together with INGV Catania, Iraci and ASIR Ltd (Advances Seismic Instrumentation & Research) the very first seismic borehole broadband seismometers at two selected sites at Mt. Etna, Sicily (see Fig. 1). The installation was completed under the EU-funded project ‘SiC nano for PicoGeo’ (http://www.picogeo.eu/). Site one is located next to the Astrophysical Observatory at Serra La Nave (SLN) and site two is located in the city of Mascalucia (MAS). At each site one borehole broadband seismometer was permanently installed (cemented) at approximately 70 m depth. In approx. 1-2m distance, a second ground-level borehole 4.5 Hz Geophone was temporarily installed (sanded) at 1 m depth until July 2022 (see Fig. 2). The ground-level geophones served as a local surface reference sensor to better evaluate the increase of signal quality from surface to depth. Test data were evaluated between October 2021 and July 2022. Sensor settings were adjusted during this time period to obtain the best possible data resolution at both test sites. This data publication compiles a segment of waveform recordings utilized for the assessment of data quality from the two installed broadband borehole seismometers, along with noise plots (Fig. 3-5) illustrating the enhancements in the data quality of frequency ranges compared to surface sensors at Mt. Etna.