Solutions · Seismic & microseismic

An earthquake lasts seconds. The questions it leaves behind last months.

Was the structure affected? Is it safe to reopen? What actually happened? Without data captured at the moment of the event, these questions have no good answers.

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The problem

What a seismic event does to a structure happens faster than any inspection can follow.

Ground shaking loads a structure in seconds.

The damage — if any — may be invisible: internal cracking, connection loosening, foundation movement.

A visual inspection after the event tells you what it looks like.

Instrumentation tells you what it experienced.

Hidden structural damageA connection, weld, or joint that absorbed more than its design load but shows nothing on the surface.

Foundation movementDifferential settlement or lateral displacement triggered by the event, not visible above grade.

Aftershock vulnerabilityA structure weakened by the main event but cleared for occupancy, then hit by an aftershock it can no longer handle.

Microseismic eventsSmall, repeated rock bursts or induced seismicity near mining or industrial operations — individually minor, cumulatively damaging.

Inspecting a structure after an earthquake without seismic data is like reading a car's damage report without the black box — you see the dent, but not the speed at impact.

What it costs you

Without data from the event, every post-earthquake decision is a guess with consequences.

Extended closureA building or bridge kept closed for weeks of visual inspection and engineering review that instrumentation data would resolve in hours.

Premature reopeningA structure cleared too soon because there's no data to contradict a visual assessment — then damaged further by aftershocks.

Conservative retrofit decisionsWithout event data, engineers assume worst-case loading — adding weeks to the assessment and cost to any required retrofit.

Liability for the decisionReopening or condemning a structure without a data record leaves the engineer and owner exposed regardless of which call they made.

What monitoring gives you

Know exactly what the structure experienced — within minutes of the event.

Event record from the moment it happensGround motion, structural response, and peak accelerations captured at the instant of the event. The data exists before anyone reaches the site.

Reopening decisions in hours, not weeksRecorded structural response compared against design limits gives engineers the evidence to clear or condemn a structure the same day.

Microseismic source locationFor mining and industrial sites, event location and magnitude tracked continuously — identifying which area is active before it becomes a safety issue.

A defensible post-event recordDocumented structural behavior for insurers, regulators, and legal proceedings — evidence that the decision was based on data, not a walk-around.

How it works

Four stages, from the first signal to the decision.

01 · Observe

Capture the event

Ground motion and structural acceleration recorded at the moment of shaking — automatically, with no human trigger required.

02 · Estimate

Read what happened

Peak ground acceleration, structural response, and inter-story drift compared against the design envelope.

03 · Predict

See what it means

Did the structure stay within its design limits — or did it exceed them in a way that warrants investigation?

04 · Decide

Act with evidence

Reopen, restrict, or close — with a data record that supports the decision and stands up to scrutiny.

Under the hood: Accelerometers, geophones, seismometers, and triggered data acquisition systems integrated with wireless communication — specifying and installing the right sensing is our job, not your concern.

Continuous early-warning is the direction we're building toward. What we deliver today is the monitoring itself and the responsive engineering behind it.

Why Civionix

Two decades of instrumenting structures like yours.

Deep track recordTwenty-plus years instrumenting major river crossings, bridges, and structures across North America.

Engineer-ledA licensed professional engineer accountable behind the readings and the recommendation.

Integrated, not manufacturedBest-in-class sensing and data brought together into one deployment — we integrate; we don't sell you a box.

Transparent & fastSupplier list price plus a fair margin, flexible terms, short lead times, and someone reachable when scope shifts.