The Brazilian Seismographic Network (RSBR) was deployed between 2009 and 2015 mainly with resources from PETROBRAS and is currently maintained by the Brazilian Geological Survey (CPRM). Four FDSN sub-networks (BL, BR, NB, ON) compose RSBR, with a total of 84 permanent stations. Data from RSBR are open-access and transmitted over satellite, 3G modems or WISP networks. For acquisition, real-time processing and distribution, RSBR uses SeisComP3. Besides the most common products of a seismic network, sometimes RSBR data was used to assist Brazilian society in curious ways.

In two years of operation, the locally developed platform “Sentiu Aí?” (“Did you feel it?”), a tool to collect data from people who felt an earthquake, received more than 800 reports, helping RSBR seismologists to identify earthquakes that were not located by the real-time processing system. Recently, “Sentiu Aí?” received a mobile version, allowing faster and more accurate reports.

In 2016, an explosion of a dynamite truck in southern Brazil was registered as an earthquake (M2.8) by RSBR stations up to 300 km away from the disaster. Due to temperature variations in the atmosphere, vibrations propagated more strongly in the opposite direction to the accident, confusing seismologists because people reported the “earthquake” from cities ~60 km away from the epicenter.

The collapse of a mine tailings dam in SE Brazil (2015) is another example of how RSBR was used in environmental studies. Soon after the dam collapse, a mixture of water, soil, and mine tailings flooded the village of Bento Rodrigues, following the course of the Doce River. The seismic noise generated by this turbulent current was recorded by RSBR stations up to more than 300km distance, allowing seismologists to further analyze this aspect of the accident (Augurto-Detzel et al. 2016).

These among other examples can help justify a seismic network in an aseismic country.