Seismometer
In monitoring volcanic activity within a mountain, scientists use many tools. They use tools such as an EDM, GPS, COSPEC, VLF, EM-31, and seismometers. However, I’m going to solely highlight on the seismometers. This tool is used to monitor seismic activity, or earthquakes, underground. The two don’t sound very related, earthquakes and volcanoes, but they are. As a volcano grows nearer towards its eruption, the earthquake activity begins to increase. The unusual increase in activity would alert scientists and allow time for citizens nearby to evacuate.
With today’s technology, it is so much easier to predict an eruption with that method. However, when the first seismometer was created by the Chinese Scientist, Chang Heng, it would very difficult. The method of detecting an earthquake was a vase with 8 dragon heads coming out the sides, each with a ball inside of its mouth, and 8 frog heads at the bottom of the sides of the vase. Whenever an earthquake occurred, the ball from the dragon’s mouth would drop into the frog’s mouth. This was a very small scale seismometer since now they are huge, much more accurate, and more sensitive.
With today’s technology, it is so much easier to predict an eruption with that method. However, when the first seismometer was created by the Chinese Scientist, Chang Heng, it would very difficult. The method of detecting an earthquake was a vase with 8 dragon heads coming out the sides, each with a ball inside of its mouth, and 8 frog heads at the bottom of the sides of the vase. Whenever an earthquake occurred, the ball from the dragon’s mouth would drop into the frog’s mouth. This was a very small scale seismometer since now they are huge, much more accurate, and more sensitive.