8119 20260602135051.0 10.1093/astrogeo/atag017 DOI SCART-2026-0143 Curtis, Andrew The UK and Ireland Geophysical Array 2026 Scientific exploration of the UK and Ireland’s subsurface is important for both economic and population growth, sustainable use of natural resources, storage of greenhouse gas, and to inspire curiosity about the Earth beneath our feet. This article outlines a vision for an array of seismological instruments spanning the UK and Ireland (UKI-Array), augmented by other types of geophysical sensors, to maximise the value offered by existing equipment pools. The mission is to research natural phenomena in the deep and shallow Earth, to solve problems concerning hazards and resources, to connect scientists to school pupils and the broader public, and thus to inspire a new generation to learn about geophysics. This vision was created through a community driven process of engagement and participation. This paper describes the concept and design of UKI-Array; the companion paper discusses potential applications. NO Seismometer array Seismic noise Earthquake Imaging Lythgoe, Karen Hicks, Stephen P. Bie, Lidong Strutz, Dominik Chambers, Emma Baptie, Brian Cornwell, Dave Huebert, Juliane Irving, Jessica Jones, Glenn Lebedev, Sergei Ben Mansour, Walid Montiel Álvarez, Aideliz Nippress, Stuart Van Noten, Koen Pharaoh, Tim Palamakumbura, Romesh Rawlinson, Nick Rodriguez Salgado, Pablo Verdon, James Zhu, Chuanbin Zhou, Wen Assink, Jelle Bastow, Ian Blenkinsop, Tom Bonadio, Raffaele Chew, David Cotton, Fabrice Craig, Tim Day, Elizabeth Diaferia, Giovanni Dunning, Stuart Edwards, Ben Fagereng, Ake Gilligan, Amy Green, David Healy, David Horleston, Anna Ireland, Mark Jenkins, Jenny Johnson, Jessica Kearsey, Tim Kettlety, Tom Kiyan, Duygu Koelemeijer, Paula Kounoudis, Rita Lu, Chuanchuan MacDonald, Alan Magrini, Fabrizio Marignier, Auggie Martin, Carl Mindi, Dino McCarthy, Dave Möllhoff, Martin Neill, Iain Nowacki, Andy Paap, Bob Pilia, Simone de Ridder, Sjoerd Ruigrok, Elmer Shi, Peidong Stork, Anna Turner, Alice Whiteley, Jim Astronomy & Geophysics 67 2026 3 3.31-3.37 koen.vannoten@ksb-orb.be published in REFERD