Instrumental seismic monitoring in the Caucasus began in 1899 with the installation of the first seismograph in Tbilisi. During the Soviet era, the seismic network in the region expanded significantly, primarily using analog equipment. Historical analog data records are preserved in the archives of the Institute of the Earth Sciences and National Seismic Monitoring Center.  However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the seismic network deteriorated, leading to a period of limited coverage in Georgia for the next 13 years.

A significant milestone in Georgia’s seismic monitoring came in 2003 with the installation of the first permanent digital seismic station in Tbilisi after 2002 Tbilisi earthquake. Since then, the region’s seismic networks have seen remarkable improvements, particularly from 2015 through collaborative regional projects such as ”Tbilisi local Seismic Network”,  “The Uplift and Seismic Structure of the Greater Caucasus” and “Seismic Network Expansion in the Caucasus and Central Asia (SNECCA)”, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), IRIS, IRIS PASSCAL, and STCU.

The National Seismic Monitoring Center in Georgia currently operates 47 seismic stations, including:

One of the most important aspects of the seismic network modernization in Georgia is the development of strong motions network. Over the past 10 years  37 strong motion stations have been installed in Georgia, equipped with instruments from Nanometrics-Titan, Titan SMA, and Güralp, with 31 of these stations co-located with broadband sensors. The local network in Tbilisi itself features 5 strong motion stations.

A key achievement is that data  are transmitted online to EarthScope, enabling access for the global scientific community, thereby enhancing international collaboration and research opportunities.