Citizen scientists and the detection of earthquakes through social media
By Denise
@petatonicsca (7070)
Japan
November 19, 2019 1:32am CST
Did you know that EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the clearing-house for a lot of the world's earthquake data) is doing research on how they can detect an earthquake quickly and locate areas of most damage by using Twitter, Facebook, other social media sites? They also can use the number and location of people opening their earthquake information app, "Lastquake," to quickly know where an earthquake has happened, sometimes even before the seismic waves reach their stations. They are working on using this kind of "citizen seismology" because the people who are actually there when a quake hits are primary sources of information as to how strong, how much damage, and even pictures, helping them to determine if rescue teams need to be activated. Who knew that social media could be used for such a good cause?
So if you're in an earthquake, tweet about it! It will help scientists to know a lot about that quake. Also, make sure you do a felt report with EMSC and USGS (United States Geological Survey); that helps seismologists pinpoint the seismic intensity (how strong the shaking was). They will thank you for it!
5 people like this
5 responses
@LadyDuck (502881)
• Italy
21 Nov 19
@petatonicsca When we lived in Monte Carlo we had a few earthquakes and some where pretty strong. We lived at the first floor... not a big deal, our friend who lived at the 42nd floor rushed down and jumped in his car and refused to go back until he was sure that the after shocks had stopped. Of course we felt the quake differently.
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
29 Nov 19
@LadyDuck @alexandoy This is a paper being researched.
Annales Geophysicae Atmospheric Chemistry & Physics Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Biogeosciences Climate of the Past Earth Surface Dynamics Earth System Dynamics Geochronology Geoscience Communication Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Sy
1 person likes this
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
21 Nov 19
They use it of course as a different "weight" of information from seismographs. It tells how people felt it and how strong the seismic intensity was as opposed to the magnitude.
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@Alexandoy (65302)
• Cainta, Philippines
19 Nov 19
It's not easy to determine an earthquake if it is not strong. When there was an earthquake 2 weeks ago, my wife and I were in the car and on a traffic stop, the car started shaking a bit. We looked at each other and I said earthquake. My wife said maybe not because the other vehicles were not shaking. But it was a 5.2 earthquake.
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
21 Nov 19
My cat and I have these discussions. I think it's the wind and I say to my cat, "What do you think, earthquake, or wind?" She never answers though.
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@Alexandoy (65302)
• Cainta, Philippines
21 Nov 19
@petatonicsca you gave me a big laugh with the no answer of your cat, wahahaha. But seriously, in our culture it is believed that animals can sense an earthquake a few seconds before it occurs, barking dogs, noisy chickens and ducks.
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
21 Nov 19
@Alexandoy Yes, they do. They can feel the P-waves (pressure waves) which are the fastest waves and arrive before the S-waves and surface waves so sometimes they can even give us a 20-30-second warning.
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@mlgen1037 (29882)
• Manila, Philippines
19 Nov 19
Hi Denise. We had an earthquake recently. Mostly in the southern part of the Philippines. Through social media, we can be all informed.
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
21 Nov 19
Yes, sometimes it can inform you that you actually did feel an earthquake and it was not just a truck or a jet liner!
1 person likes this
@mlgen1037 (29882)
• Manila, Philippines
21 Nov 19
@petatonicsca Social media can be informative and helpful. The problem on my side is that I don't use them anymore.
