Catching a (seismic) wave: Simons measures earthquakes in the oceans

By Jennifer Schieltz for the Office for the Dean for Research on June 20, 2016, noon
Play video:

In this video, Princeton researchers Frederik Simons, associate professor of geosciences, and Guust Nolet, the George J. Magee Professor of Geoscience and Geological Engineering, Emeritus, discuss the origins and development of MERMAID and Son-O-Mermaid, instruments that detect and record sound waves in the ocean created by distant earthquakes. Just as a CAT scan can enable physicians to "see" inside the human body, geologists can use earthquake data to survey the interior structure of the planet. With two-thirds of the Earth covered by water, MERMAID and Son-O-Mermaid are among the few instruments able to record earthquakes in the ocean.

Related Stories

Catching a (seismic) wave: Simons measures earthquakes in the oceans .

Frederik Simons, an associate professor of geosciences at Princeton University, is using an instrument, named Son-O-Mermaid, to record earthquakes in the ocean.

MERMAIDs reveal secrets from below the ocean floor .

An international team of scientists found a mantle plume under Galápagos by using a floating array of robotic seismometers known as MERMAIDs.

For geoscientist Simons, Earth's deepest secrets may come from the sea .

Princeton Earth scientist Frederik Simons believes the answers to questions about such unpredictable and destructive acts of nature as earthquakes and volcanoes might best be found floating in the ocean. Despite hundreds of seismometers and geological studies, scientists still have an imperfect understanding of what happens deep within the planet where these phenomena begin. Simons has developed a custom-made, free-floating sensor that could provide a clearer picture of the Earth's interior by using the additional perspective only the oceans can provide.

Frontier beneath our feet: Seismic study aims to map Earth's interior in 3-D .

Princeton geosciences professor Jeroen Tromp and his team have embarked on an ambitious project to use earthquakes to map the Earth's entire mantle, the semisolid rock that stretches to a depth of 1,800 miles, about halfway down to the planet's center and about 300 times deeper than humans have drilled.

Pioneering seismologist Tony Dahlen dies .

Francis Anthony (Tony) Dahlen, a Princeton professor of geosciences who was widely considered the top theoretical seismologist in his field, died of cancer June 3 at the University Medical Center at Princeton. He was 64.

Minor earthquake tremors felt on Princeton campus .

An earthquake emanating from Delaware that shook the East Coast on Thursday from New York City to Washington, D.C., produced tremors that were felt at Princeton University campus buildings including Nassau Hall. Seismologists at Guyot Hall recorded the unusual event.

Video simulations of real earthquakes made available to worldwide network .

A Princeton University-led research team has developed the capability to produce realistic movies of earthquakes based on complex computer simulations that can be made available worldwide within hours of a disastrous upheaval.