The Earthquake Commission-funded research will add thousands of extra sensors, to record low-magnitude quakes.
Victoria University of Wellington's Dr Calum Chamberlain says no one is ever likely to feel them, but they could give interesting insight on what faults and volcanoes are doing.
He says the main goal is to characterise the background state of the Auckland Volcanic Field, and what's happening.
Chamberlain says the work will give a better picture of seismic activity and potential volcanic unrest.
