School Seismology Dave Waltham Department of Earth Sciences Royal Holloway University of London
Feb 22, 2016
School SeismologyDave WalthamDepartment of Earth SciencesRoyal Holloway University of London
Japan, March 11, 2011
RHUL Recording
P-waves, S-Waves & Mexican Waves
Surface Waves
RHUL Recording
P S Surface Waves
~10 mins
05:56:37
86.03
10:10. Hence, earthquake at 05:56:37 – 00:10:10 = 05:46:27
Epicentral Distance
RHUL
86.03
Japan
www.bgs.ac.uk/schoolSeismology
With Plate Boundaries
Texas Epicentral Distance=90°
Conclusions
• Off-shore Japan• Occurred at 05:46:27• Large!
www.usgs.gov
Large Foreshock
Wednesday 9/3/11
Friday 11/3/11
Aftershocks
EarthquakeSeismology
RHUL’s Seismometer
Greece14 Feb 2008Magnitude 6.7With aftershock
China12 May 2008Magnitude 7.987 652 fatalities
Herefordshire26 Oct 2008Magnitude 3.6
Frequencies1 Hz0.1 Hz
Conclusions
• School equipment can be used to detect and characterize distant earthquakes.
• We don’t know how to predict earthquakes. Can the next generation of scientists find a way?
• Until then, rigorous building codes save lives.