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.