Seismology

Seismology (from the Greek seismos = earthquake and logos = word) is the scientific study of earthquakes and the movement of waves through the Earth. The field also includes studies of variants such as seaquakes, causes such as volcanoes and tectonic plates.

Related Topics:
Greek - Earthquake - Earth - Volcano - Tectonic plates

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Earthquakes (and other earth movements) produce different types of seismic waves. These waves travel through rock, and provide an effective way to "see" events and structures deep in the Earth.

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One of the earliest important discoveries was that the outer core of the Earth is liquid. Pressure waves pass through the core. Transverse or shear waves that shake side-to-side require rigid material so they do not pass through the core.

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The process of mapping subsurface features is a specialty called seismography. Seismic waves produced by explosions have been used to map salt domes and other oil-bearing rocks, faults (cracks in deep rock), rock types, and long-buried giant meteor craters. For example, the Chicxulub impactor, which is believed to have killed the dinosaurs, was localized to Central America by analyzing ejecta in the cretaceous boundary, and then physically proven to exist using seismic maps from oil exploration.

Related Topics:
Seismography - Salt dome - Chicxulub - Oil exploration

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Using seismic tomography with earthquake waves, the interior of the Earth has been completely mapped to a resolution of several hundred kilometers. This process has enabled scientists to identify convection cells, mantle plumes and other large features of the inner Earth.

Related Topics:
Seismic tomography - Mantle plume

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Seismographs also effectively discover unusual, otherwise unobserved phenomena such as large meteors striking uninhabited ocean, or underground nuclear tests. Ocean meteor strikes as large as ten kilotons of TNT, (equivalent to about 4.2 × 1013 J of effective explosive force) have been reported.

Related Topics:
Seismographs - J

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One of the first attempts at the scientific study of earthquakes followed the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

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