EARTH: USArray - Geoscientists' 'Earth Telescope' Illuminating What Lies Beneath Our Feet

Alexandria, VA — Big science often requires big tools. Until recently, earth scientists have been using relatively small-scale instruments to unlock some of our planet’s biggest mysteries. Now, geoscientists across the country are teaming up to use an “Earth Telescope” capable of peering deep into the planet with unprecedented resolution. This new technology called USArray is helping us learn more about how the deep Earth works.

Part of the NSF-funded EarthScope project, USArray consists of an expansive grid of individual seismometers moving across the entire United States. Each seismometer remains in the ground for two years, recording both distant and nearby earthquakes. After two years, seismometers on the west side of the array are moved to the new location on the grid’s east side. Over time, this helps to create a comprehensive map of how waves travel through the planet.

How will this new technology affect our ideas about how the Earth works? Read the story online and find out at http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/usarray-geoscientists-earth-telescope.

Read this story and more all in the November issue of EARTH Magazine. Crunch the real risk of temperature extremes; learn what new discovery links birds and dinosaurs; and see how compression, not shear, explains oobleck all in this month’s issue of EARTH.

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH magazine online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the geoscientific community.