Review of sensors for low frequency seismic vibration measurement

The objective of this report is to review the main different types of sensors used to measure seismic vibrations at low frequencies. After some basic background preliminaries, the main different types of relative measurements are first reviewed. Then, the following inertial sensors are treated: geophones, accelerometers and broadband seismometers. For each of these sensors, the basic working principle is explained, along with the main performances limitations. Each section ends with a tentative comparison of some commercial products, far from being exhaustive, but hopefully representative of the average characteristics of each family of sensors. The report finishes with a brief discussion on the modelling and measurement of the sensor noise