The shallow boreholes at The AltotiBerina near fault Observatory (TABOO; northern Apennines of Italy)

As part of an interdisciplinary research project, funded by the European Research Council and addressing
the mechanics of weak faults, we drilled three 200–250 m-deep boreholes and installed an array of
seismometers. The array augments TABOO (The AltotiBerina near fault ObservatOry), a scientific infrastructure
managed by the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. The observatory, which consists
of a geophysical network equipped with multi-sensor stations, is located in the northern Apennines (Italy) and
monitors a large and active low-angle normal fault.
The drilling operations started at the end of 2011 and were completed by July 2012. We instrumented the
boreholes with three-component short-period (2 Hz) passive instruments at different depths. The seismometers
are now fully operational and collecting waveforms characterised by a very high signal to noise ratio that is
ideal for studying microearthquakes. The resulting increase in the detection capability of the seismic network
will allow for a broader range of transients to be identified.