Cardinal: Seismic and Geoacoustic Array Processing

Journal Article · Thu Jul 17 00:00:00 UTC 2025 · Seismological Research Letters

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1785/0220240434 · OSTI ID:2585689

Giannone, Miro Ronac  ^[1]; Arrowsmith, Stephen J.  ^[2]; Silber, Elizabeth A.  ^[3]

---

1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX (United States)
2. Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX (United States)
3. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Data collected via seismic and infrasound array deployments are leveraged in the geosciences to detect and characterize a myriad of natural and anthropogenic sources. These deployments consist of numerous sensors placed in a predetermined configuration to amplify signal strength and improve the efficacy of array processing techniques used to measure signal directionality and waveform coherence. High‐fidelity feature extraction is often predicated on interstation distance as well as the frequency content and wavelength of an incident signal. Numerous array processing softwares analyze data in sequential frequency bands to obtain a more detailed characterization of a signal. However, current algorithms are limited in their ability to determine optimal array configuration for each band. We introduce an open‐source Python code, called Cardinal, to process seismic and infrasound array data in discretized time–frequency space with the option of applying an adaptive array design to determine optimal subarray configuration for each frequency band. To reduce computational time, the array processing step can be run in parallel using multithreading. Furthermore, the software has the capability to aggregate array processing results from different time–frequency pixels to produce separate sets of detections, or families, with added utility via the application of an adaptive semblance threshold, which aids in isolating signals‐of‐interest from coherent background noise. Upon appropriate configuration, Cardinal exhibits the potential to combine distinct seismic and infrasound phases into separate families.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• Grant/Contract Number: NA0003525
• OSTI ID: 2585689
• Report Number(s): SAND--2025-09059J; 1757902
• Journal Information: Seismological Research Letters, Journal Name: Seismological Research Letters; ISSN 0895-0695; ISSN 1938-2057
• Publisher: Seismological Society of America (SSA)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English