An imminent swarm of tiny quakes beneath western North America could help seismologists prepare for a big one — but only if they can learn to interpret the tremors, finds Naomi Lubick.
For the past few weeks, seismologists at the University of Washington in Seattle have been on high alert. Any day now, they expect a flurry of microtremors deep under the nearby Olympic Peninsula, just as occurs roughly every 12–14 months. And when that wave of vibrations comes along, the researchers will be ready to catch it.
Over the past year, the seismology team has set up an elaborate net — an array of more than 100 seismic sensors planted in the ground throughout the peninsula's mountains. When those instruments start picking up signs of the tremors, the researchers will rush back out to install extra seismometers above the spots where the earth is shuddering. Every few days the scientists will tend to the sensors, replacing batteries and downloading data, with the hope of capturing as much information as possible about the seismic events underfoot.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Seismology: The secret chatter of giant faults : Nature News
Author:
