SEP Seismometer detects Messi data
Dr Jordi Díaz of Barcelona recently bought a SEP Seismometer system to see if it would be suitable for use as an outreach tool with local schools. After running it in his lab for a couple of days he noticed some strange signals occurring on the evening of 27th May 2009. By looking at the timing of the signals he noticed that they coincided with FC Barcelona’s goals scored during the UEFA Champions League Final which was played that evening - despite the game being played several thousand kilometres away in Rome! However the local stadium 500 metres up the road from his lab had installed a giant TV screen and was showing the match live to 8000 very excited Barcelona fans. |
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| The biggest signal occurred when Messi scored Barcelona’s second goal in the 70th minute that clinched the match. |
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| Image reproduced with permission from Dr Jordi Díaz, ICTJA-CSIC |
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| For more information visit http://www.ictja.csic.es/edt/jd/GolsRoma/gols_roma_web.htm. |
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| Seismometers detect all sorts of signals, not just earthquakes. In the case of the football match, it was the timing that gave the clue to the origin. Other examples include local quarry blasts (they usually occur at 1:00pm on a Friday), and in the past suspicious seismic events with an origin time of precisely 12:00 noon were often identified as nuclear tests. One school using an SEP Seismometer managed to monitor the tea break patterns of a road building crew who were working outside their school during the vacations by looking back at their seismic records. |
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| Without these origin time clues we need to look in detail at the seismic trace to identify its source. Signal duration is a good clue to origin. Even the biggest earthquake rupture lasts only a few seconds, but because the seismic waves travel great distances by many different routes, by the time an earthquake signal reaches the UK the measured shaking can last for hours. Some example traces show how the length of the signal depends on the distance away of the event: |
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A local UK event (200 km, about 5 minutes) |
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| Italy (1500 km, about 35 minutes) |
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| Near Japan (8600 km, just over one hour) |
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| Tonga (16 500 km, over two hours) |
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| Further information about seismology in schools |
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| The SEP Seismometer System developed from a collaboration with the British Geological Survey as part of their UK School Seismology Project. There is now an active network of schools using the seismometers to collect seismic data. For more information about the project go to the UK School Seismology Project website (www.bgs.ac.uk/schoolseismology), or contact the project leader Paul Denton (schoolseismology@bgs.ac.uk). |
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| In addition, there is a publication Seismology in the Innovations in Practical Work series that includes many simple practical activities about earthquakes and how they are detected. The SEP Seismometer System, and other practical resources for teaching about seismology, can be purchased from Middlesex University Teaching Resources. |
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