MINOT (AP) - A nationwide project to analyze earthquake activity around the world will include North Dakota.

The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, commonly called IRIS, is installing instruments around the United States to analyze seismic waves from earthquakes. Thirty-seven sites are proposed in North Dakota.

The project is being done under the EarthScope Experiment, an effort supported by the National Science Foundation.

"The sensors measure local ground movement and are sensitive enough to detect movement caused by earthquakes … nearly anywhere in the world," said Robert Busby, an EarthScope manager in Falmouth, Mass.

"We learn a lot about these earthquakes from many recordings, but we also learn about the path the seismic wave takes from the earthquake to North Dakota," Busby said. "This project is really about mapping out the structure of the North American continent the last 50 to 500 miles of the path."

The instruments also can be used to study special sources of ground movement, such as underground nuclear tests in other countries. They also can be used by mine safety engineers to determine whether an earthquake preceded a mine collapse.

Fred Anderson, a geologist with the North Dakota Geological Survey in Bismarck, said installation of the seismometers is to begin in the western part of the state next year and move into the eastern part by 2010. They are to be in place for two years.

About 400 of the instruments are being installed nationwide. Data is transmitted to centers in San Diego and Seattle, and then out to researchers.