Earthquake scientists benefit most from closings

Posted by Megan S. Miller and Louis Morrissey, Australian National University

Our responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have greatly changed human activity worldwide. People work from home, schools close in many places, travel is restricted, and in some cases only shops and businesses are open.

Scientists see signs of these changes wherever they look. Carbon dioxide emissions are low, air quality has improved and there is less traffic.

The drop in activity was a surprising boon for seismologists like us. Our sensitive instruments detect much less noise and vibrations that humans produce while in motion – which means we have a unique opportunity to hear the small earthquakes we may never have discovered.

The heartbeat of four schools is from December 1, 2019 to July 15, 2020. The summer vacation and school closing period are eerily quiet. Credit: AuSiS, the author provided hum earthquakes from humans

Seismometers are sensitive scientific instruments used to detect earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and nuclear experiments, by recording the motion of the Earth. They often discover mining activity and can also choose crowds that respond to soccer matches – so-called “foot earthquakes”.

Moreover, daily human activity creates a high-frequency seismic “hum” that is stronger during the day and weak at night. This is especially evident in urban environments, but it is also observed in rural or uninhabited areas.

This low noise was first identified in March by Belgian scientists as closure measures were introduced in Europe. These early results, computer symbols, and data were widely published on Twitter, sparking an enthusiastic collaboration by seismologists around the world who found this signal change everywhere they looked.

Schoolyard sounds

In Australia, the change in human behavior was significantly observed in the data recorded by the Australian seismographs in the School Network (AuSiS). These tools are seismometers of research quality that are maintained by school students – our next generation of geophysicists.

The usual happy school laugh and laughter sounds disappeared in many schools, closing down and most or all students staying at home. The usual hum of children (and teachers) stopped during the school day, which was observed in the movement between classes, and during lunchtime hours or morning sports on Saturday, suddenly at locations such as the Ullula High School on the south coast of New South Wales and Kesboro High School in the suburbs of Melbourne.

In other schools, such as the Dharamalan College in Canberra, there has been only a slight decrease in human noise, as the school’s seismograph records people who move to work in basic public services and government offices that have continued to operate throughout the initial closure period. The seismic scale at North Rockhampton State High School in Queensland also saw less impact, as students were still able to attend classes.

The noise level recorded throughout Australia during shutdown is compared to Christmas week. When restrictions began to ease, the signal was similar to the January annual model when schools are closed, most companies are open but many people are away on vacation. With schools reopening across Australia in mid to late May, noise levels have often returned to “normal” except for what is usually observed in sports on Saturday morning.

Lockdown 2.0 at Keysborough Secondary Collegein Victoria, hours of study, especially between lessons, crowded and noisy. Weekends and night times are quiet enough to use these tools for seismic research. Credit: AuSiS, submitted by the author

However, regional differences became more apparent as Melbourne restored the capital’s stay restrictions at home on July 8. As a second rise in COVID-19 cases was discovered in Victoria and then increased in late June, the level of movement began to decline again.

In a seismic noise signal from Keysborough High School, we can see a quieter holiday period in the school as more restrictions are imposed on school activity.

Earthquake detection

The low background noise level of humans recorded in seismic data during closure gives us an opportunity to study small earthquakes. Detecting small earthquakes or movement on fault lines is essential to assess earthquake hazards.

Small events are usually determined by looking at changes in signal amplitude, but very small events have small amplitude signals and cannot be observed because they are flooded with background noise.

This time of calm in seismic noise due to the COVID-19 emergency provides a unique opportunity to learn more about the small earthquakes occurring in previously unknown locations.

Megan S. Miller, Associate Professor; AuScope Earth Imaging Director, Australian National University and Louis Morrissey, Professor of Geophysics, Australian National University

This article was originally republished from the conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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