What's a seismologist

Hey I was wondering… we talk about citizen seismology but what’s a seismologist job exactly ?

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Seismologists study the genesis and the propagation of seismic waves in the Earth, from its surface to its core.

Seismic waves can be generated by several, different sources. However, two main sources of seismic waves can be distinguished:

  • natural, like earthquakes
  • artificial, like underground nuclear tests

In case of an earthquake, seismologists have the task to locate the source, estimate the nature, and evaluate the size (magnitude).

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So what can a citizen-seismologist do exactly ?

Well, there are many things a citizen-seismologist can do :arrow_down:

  • You can report earthquakes you feel, through LastQuake for instance, providing as much info as possible (about what you felt, about where you were, pictures, videos etc). :camera_flash:
    This will help researchers measure the earthquake effect and know more about seismic risk in the area

  • You can learn many things about earthquakes, know how to localize an epicenter, understand better how we calculate a magnitude and what it represents etc. :bulb:

  • You can use Raspberry Shake sensors and data (https://raspberryshake.org/) to detect your own earthquake and share the news with the whole community :computer:

  • You can share your knwoledge with people around you, that will contribute to risk awareness and scientific culture! :nerd_face:

-You can ask questions and exchange with professionnal seismologists and other citizen seismologist here on LastQuakers :star_struck:

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I’ve found out that researcher story of what they do on a boat when they want to study the soil and movement undersea, fascinating !
Seismology | Thirty-nine days onboard the Langseth

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Yeah, I didn’t realized either that seismologists could spend so much time on boats before I got interested in the Mayotte case (:wink: @Bruno )

Du 23 décembre au 11 février 2021 … Ils sont presque de retour à La Réunion .
Deux équipes avec une relève de certains autour du 22 /24 Janvier. Le 13 Janvier … - Screenshot_2021-02-06 Où sont les navires|616x500

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Le 26 Janvier

Et il y a 2 jours …

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Here’s another article from a seismologist telling incredible stories about how she works in Iceland with volcanos and geysers: Seismology | Field work in winter in Iceland: The beautiful nature of Strokkur geyser

Now I really feel like being a seismologist is quite an adventure!

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Some seismologist travel a lot and go to remote places to take care of sensors…
It sounds like an adventure :slight_smile:
Check out this video : Watching the world ripple with an earthquake seismologist in Alaska

Kasey Aderhold will tell you all about her job :heart_eyes:

I’ve juste found this “blog” from a seismologist (Dr. Bob Woodward) working in extreme conditions : Seismology on ice | IRIS

It looks like being a seismologist can be quite an adventure sometimes!

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