AVER-O-MAR SCHOOL SISMOGRAPH ALREADY CONNECTED TO INTERNATIONAL NETWORK

AVER-O-MAR SCHOOL SISMOGRAPH ALREADY CONNECTED TO INTERNATIONAL NETWORK

 

On 1st March, Civil Protection Day, the RS1D seismograph installed at the school was formally switched on. This is a device with a professional-grade vertical seismometer digitiser (geophone), hyper-dampers and a computer, in a multifunctional solution that makes it possible to monitor possible earthquakes as well as all types of ground movement activity.

The equipment now installed, as well as being connected to an international network of seismographs, is based on a project developed by the Robotics Club, in conjunction with the Health and Civil Protection Club, with the support of the Municipality of Póvoa de Varzim, and the data is also being made available to the Municipal Civil Protection. The information collected is also relevant to various subjects, allowing real data to be analysed and places that the students were familiar with, which ends up being considered an added value in this process.

The sensors can detect powerful earthquakes on the other side of the planet and all magnitudes of seismic activity in the region that cause vertical ground movement. All types of ground movement can be monitored from natural as well as man-made activities, including: traffic, hydraulic fracturing, explosions, eruptions, avalanches, landslides, earthquakes etc.

The station’s visualisation will show all activity in real time, and normally only shows very low intensity data caused by the natural tectonic movement of plates, thus indicating no risk.

In the event of an earthquake, since the seismograph is anchored to the rocky outcrop, it will automatically detect it and display a pop-up with the seismic alert, a situation that we hope will never occur!

If you have any doubts, you can and should always consult the AMPI website at IPMA – Sismicity map

We should always bear in mind that the overwhelming majority of earthquakes are not felt and do not cause damage. Their magnitude is measured using the Richter school.

Magnitude is measured by measuring the maximum displacement or amplitude of the sismograph traces, after correcting for the distance between the epicentre and the sismograph.

Magnitude and intensity are two different measures used to characterise earthquakes, which are important to understand:

Magnitude: conceived by American physicist and seismologist Charles Francis Richter and his colleague Beno Gutenberg, the magnitude of an earthquake is a quantitative measure of the energy released during the seismic event. Usually expressed on a logarithmic scale, such as the Richter Scale, the magnitude is determined on the basis of the maximum amplitudes of the seismic waves recorded on seismographs, considering that the greater the magnitude, the greater the energy released by the earthquake.

Intensity: the intensity of an earthquake describes the actual effects of the event on specific areas, such as damage to structures, impact on people and the landscape. Expressed qualitatively, intensity uses the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI). This measure varies according to the distance from the epicentre, the local geology and other factors. For example, an earthquake of moderate magnitude can cause significant damage in a densely populated area, while an earthquake of greater magnitude can have smaller effects in a less developed area.

On the scale introduced in 1935 by Gutenberg and Richter, later known as the Richter Scale, an earthquake of magnitude 2 represents the minimum perceptible to a person, usually felt as a slight tremor. Damage to buildings begins to be significant above magnitude 6.

So don’t be alarmed when you see the data from the station! Stay calm and check the information on the AMPI website for further validation.

By way of example, in the early hours of 10th March, the AMPI’s national seismic network detected a small 0.9 magnitude earthquake in the Valongo area (image below), which was also detected by the seismograph installed in this school (second image).

AMPI

José Carlos

Author José Carlos

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