GET /fdsnws/station/1/query

iris.edu:iris-web-services

Summary: Get station metadata
Operation ID: getStationMetadata
Auth: none

Query seismic station metadata from the FDSN Station Web Service. This is the primary endpoint for discovering where seismic stations are located, what instruments they contain, and when they were operational. Returns station metadata in FDSN StationXML format (standard for seismology) or as delimited text. Use this when you need to: (1) find stations in a specific geographic region, (2) discover what networks exist, (3) understand station instrumentation and when it was active, or (4) prepare station lists for data requests. The metadata includes station coordinates, elevation, channel details (sampling rates, instrument types), and operational time periods.

Original spec description

Returns seismic station metadata in FDSN StationXML or text format. Supports queries by network, station, location, channel, geographic region, and time range.

Usage Tips

- Use the 'level' parameter to control detail: 'network' > 'station' > 'channel' > 'response' - Geographic searches use latitude/longitude with min/max radius or bounding box - Wildcards (* and ?) supported for network, station, location, and channel codes - Always include format=xml for structured output; format=text for simple lists - Use includeavailability=true to see which stations have actual data (slower but useful) - Date filters (starttime/endtime) accept ISO 8601 format: 2024-01-01 or 2024-01-01T00:00:00 - For large queries, consider using the fedcatalog endpoint which searches multiple data centers

Parameters (27)

channel (string, query, optional)

Channel code(s). Accepts wildcards (*, ?), comma-separated lists, and exclusions with -

endafter (string, query, optional)

Limit to metadata epochs ending after specified time

endbefore (string, query, optional)

Limit to metadata epochs ending before specified time

endtime (string, query, optional)

Limit to metadata describing channels operating on or before the specified end time (ISO 8601)

format (string, query, optional)

Output format

Constraints: {'enum': ['xml', 'text', 'geocsv']}

includeavailability (boolean, query, optional)

Include information about time series data availability

includecomments (boolean, query, optional)

Include station and channel comments

includerestricted (boolean, query, optional)

Include information relating to restricted channels

latitude (number, query, optional)

Central latitude for radial search

Constraints: {'minimum': -90, 'maximum': 90}

level (string, query, optional)

Level of detail

Constraints: {'enum': ['network', 'station', 'channel', 'response']}

location (string, query, optional)

Location code(s). Use -- for blank location IDs. Accepts wildcards and lists.

longitude (number, query, optional)

Central longitude for radial search

Constraints: {'minimum': -180, 'maximum': 180}

matchtimeseries (boolean, query, optional)

Retrieve only metadata likely to match available time series data

maxlatitude (number, query, optional)

Northern boundary in decimal degrees (-90 to 90)

Constraints: {'minimum': -90, 'maximum': 90}

maxlongitude (number, query, optional)

Eastern boundary in decimal degrees (-180 to 180)

Constraints: {'minimum': -180, 'maximum': 180}

maxradius (number, query, optional)

Maximum distance from geographic point in degrees

Constraints: {'minimum': 0, 'maximum': 180}

minlatitude (number, query, optional)

Southern boundary in decimal degrees (-90 to 90)

Constraints: {'minimum': -90, 'maximum': 90}

minlongitude (number, query, optional)

Western boundary in decimal degrees (-180 to 180)

Constraints: {'minimum': -180, 'maximum': 180}

minradius (number, query, optional)

Minimum distance from geographic point in degrees

Constraints: {'minimum': 0, 'maximum': 180}

network (string, query, optional)

Network code(s). Accepts wildcards (*, ?), comma-separated lists, and exclusions with -

nodata (integer, query, optional)

HTTP status code when no data is found

Constraints: {'enum': [204, 404]}

sensor (string, query, optional)

Select matching sensor descriptions (sub-string match, case-insensitive)

startafter (string, query, optional)

Limit to metadata epochs starting after specified time

startbefore (string, query, optional)

Limit to metadata epochs starting before specified time

starttime (string, query, optional)

Limit to metadata describing channels operating on or after the specified start time (ISO 8601)

station (string, query, optional)

Station code(s). Accepts wildcards (*, ?), comma-separated lists, and exclusions with -

updatedafter (string, query, optional)

Limit to metadata updated after specified UTC date

Examples (4)

TitleTypeURLAction
Query stations in IU network with BHZ channels curl https://service.iris.edu/fdsnws/station/1/query?network=IU&channel=BHZ&level=station&format=xml
Search stations within 10 degrees of Los Angeles curl https://service.iris.edu/fdsnws/station/1/query?latitude=34.05&longitude=-118.25&maxradius=10&level=channel&format=xml
Query active stations in 2024 with availability info curl https://service.iris.edu/fdsnws/station/1/query?network=US&starttime=2024-01-01&endtime=2024-12-31&includeavailability=true&level=station&format=xml
Get station metadata openapi-spec https://service.iris.edu/fdsnws/station/1/query?network=IU&station=ANMO&location=00&channel=BHZ&starttime=2024-01-01T00:00:00&endtime=2024-12-31T23:59:59&minlatitude=-90&maxlatitude=90&minlongitude=-180&maxlongitude=180&latitude=0&longitude=0&minradius=0&level=station&format=text&includerestricted=True&includeavailability=False&includecomments=True&matchtimeseries=False&nodata=204

Probe History

Latency

Status Codes

TimeStatusLatencySize
2026-03-23 09:41:22.522314 200 1399ms 2.0MB
2026-03-23 09:32:54.084610 200 1130ms
2026-03-23 09:16:22.884998 400 702ms
2026-03-23 09:13:12.884530 200 913ms

Response Changes

WhenOldNew
2026-03-23 09:16:22.884998 12755e86c16e 2ca2904654eb
2026-03-23 09:32:54.084610 2ca2904654eb b6554ff311fc
2026-03-23 09:41:22.522314 b6554ff311fc 9928ee6df03b