EARTHQUAKE RECORDS

AND
MEASURING
INSTRUMENTS
TOPICS:
Seismographs and Seismograms
Accelerographs and Accelograms
Earthquake Networks
 EARTHQUAKE MEASURING
INSTRUMENTS
Aware that the intensity scales were based on subjective
appraisals of damage submitted by a wide variety of
observers, scientists studying earthquake at the end of the
nineteenth century realized that the understanding of the
earthquake phenomenon required accurate and
consistent physical measurements. They
felt thus, the need for advanced devices that would record
and preserve the ground motion generated by earthquake.
 SEISMOGRAPH is an
instrument which measures , detects,
and records the vibrations produced
by earthquakes.
DEVELOPMENT OF SEISMOGRAPH

SEISMOSCOPE
• is an early seismic instrument.
• it has no time record of ground oscillations ,it just simply
indicates that shaking had occurred.
• A Chinese scholar, Zhang Heng, invented such an instrument
as early as 132 CE.
It was cylindrical in shape with
eight dragon heads arranged around its
upper circumference, each with a ball in
its mouth. Around the lower
circumference were eight frogs, each
directly under a dragon head. When an
earthquake occurred, balls
were released from a
dragon’s mouth, probably by
an internal pendulum that
moved back and forth
according to the direction
of vibration, and were
caught by a frog’s mouth,
which produced noise.
DEVELOPMENT OF SEISMOGRAPH
Seismograph developments occurred rapidly in 1880 when Scottish physicist 
Sir James Alfred Ewing, Scottish engineer Thomas Gray, and English geologist 
John Milne, who were working in Japan at the time, began to study earthquakes.
Following a severe earthquake that occurred at Yokohama near Tokyo in that
year, they organized the Seismological Society of Japan. Under
its auspices various devices, forerunners of today’s seismograph, were invented.
Among the instruments constructed in that period was Milne’s famous
horizontal pendulum seismograph. Milne successfully used that seismograph
to record several earthquakes in Japan. Then, after returning to England, he
established a small worldwide seismographic network using such instruments
Milne’s famous horizontal pendulum seismograph.
• A boom (B), to which the mass (M) was
attached, was suspended horizontally by a
pivot (P) and a silk thread (T) fixed to a point
above the pivot. A thin plate (C), in which a
narrow slit was cut parallel to the boom, was
attached to the end of the boom. A similar
plate with a slit at right angles to the upper
plate was fixed on the top of a box containing
a recording drum (D). A ray of light from an oil
lamp passed through both slits and formed a
small spot of light on a sheet of light-sensitive
graph paper (bromide paper) wrapped on the
recording drum
In 1855 Italian scientist 
Luigi Palmieri designed
a seismograph that consisted
of several U-shaped tubes
filled with mercury and
oriented toward the different
points of the compass. When
the ground shook, the motion of the
mercury made an electrical contact
that stopped a clock and
simultaneously started a recording
drum on which the motion of a
float on the surface of mercury was
registered. This device thus
indicated time of occurrence and
the relative intensity and duration
of the ground motion.
 CECCHI SEISMOGRAPH
The first true seismograph, according to Italian
seismologists, was created in 1875 by Italian
physicist Filippo Cecchi.
also used pendulums, but it was the first to
record the relative motion of the pendulums
with respect to Earth’s ground motions as a
function of time. The motions produced by
seismic waves would activate a clock, and the
recording surface (which tracked ground
motion) advanced 1 cm (0.04 inch) per second,
which would allow a reader to establish the
timing of an earthquake’s onset as well as its
duration.
PRESS-EWING SEISMOGRAPH
The horizontal pendulum
seismograph was improved
greatly after world war II.
It was developed in the United
States for recording long-period
waves, was widely used
throughout the world. That device
employed a Milne-type pendulum,
but the pivot supporting the
pendulum was replaced by an
elastic wire to avoid friction.
 `

SEISMOGRAPH
Seismograph, instrument that
makes a record of seismic
waves caused by an earthquake,
explosion, or other Earth-shaking
phenomenon.
Seismographs are equipped with
electromagnetic sensors that
translate ground motions into
electrical changes, which are
processed and recorded by the
instruments’ analog or digital
circuits.
The terms
seismograph and seismometer are often
used interchangeably; however, whereas
both devices may detect and measure
seismic waves, only a seismograph
possesses the capacity to record the
phenomena.
Streckeisen STS-2
A SEISMOMETER  is a sensor used to Broadband Seismometer
detect weak ground motion. The most Guralp CMG-3T Digital
common type of seismometer is made BB Seismometer
from a pendulum or a mass mounted on a
spring.
 While seismometer is often used
synonymously with "seismograph“,
strictly speak, it is usually the component
of a seismograph (definition follows) that Teledyne GS-13 SP Seismometer
DIGITAL SEISMOGRAPH
ANALOG SEISMOGRAPH
SEISMOGRAM
A record produced by a seismograph
on a display screen or paper printout is
called a seismogram.
A seismogram is what geologists
interpret when determining whether or
not an earthquake happened.
A seismogram is thus a record of the
variation with time of the displacement
of the ground, magnified by the
magnification factor of the seismograph
at the location where the seismograph is
installed.
Classic
Seismograms
For most of the last
century, seismograms were
recorded on sheet of paper,
either with ink or
photographically. We call
such records "analog"
records to distinguish them
from digital recordings.
The classic paper seismogram is read like a book, from left-to-
right and top to bottom. A continuous record is constructed by
drawing the line as a sheet of paper fastened to a rotating drum
constantly moves horizontally on a threaded attachment. When
the ground vibrates the pen moves up or down creating the seismic
record of the vibrations. Seismograph station and component, date
and start time are recorded on the upper left of this paper
Digital Seismograms
Today, most seismic data are recorded
digitally, which facilitates quick
interpretations of the signals using computers.
Digital seismograms are "sampled" at an
even time interval that depends on the type of
seismic instrument and the interest of the
people who deploy the seismometer. The same
principle is used to provide "digital" sound on
compact disks. The motion of the ground is
continuous, but we can pick only certain
positions and reconstruct the motion (within
certain limits)
A digital seismogram is a record
of the ground movement stored
as an array of numbers which
indicate the time and the
movement of the ground for a
range of times and are easily
analyzed using computers. The
principle is the same as that used
for digital audio signals that are
The magnitude 8.9 earthquake east of Honshu on
stored on Music CD's March 11, 2011, as recorded on a SEIS-UK seismometer
in the University of Leicester’s Department of Geology.
 Interpreting Seismogram
A seismogram is interpreted
when geologists look at squiggly
lines made by a seismograph on
a piece of paper, according to
Michigan Technological
University. Initial waves, called P
waves, are small and close
together because they travel
quickly. More intense waves,
called S waves, are next followed
by surface waves that show up as
the largest markings on a
 Earthquake Source Seismograph
Time Function and Earth’s Surface
Mechanism Surface
Near-
waves
surface
Multiple layers
Propagation reflection
Effects (raypaths
P to S
and attenuation) conversion
P
S
Site Response

Sample
Teleseismic Instrument
raypaths Response and
Filtering

Seismogram

Four wave types (P, S, R, L), wave conversions (such as P to S), different
paths, and multiple reflections produce complex seismogram!
Before an earthquake occurs, a seismograph detects microseisms, very small,
regular waves that nobody feels from far away. Heavy traffic, ocean waves,
subway trains and the wind can also be the cause of microseisms.
When an earthquake begins, the seismograph picks up P waves. These waves
are small and fast, but they are larger than microseisms. A seismogram indicates
S waves next, which are larger and more intense than P waves.
The most prominent part of a seismogram during an earthquake is the area that
shows surface waves. These types of markings are more spread out because the
waves are a lower frequency than P waves and S waves. Surface waves travel
more slowly yet are taller than previous marks on the seismogram. Earthquakes
that occur near the Earth's surface manifest as the most intense waves recorded
by a seismograph.
LIMITATIONS OF A SEISMOGRAPH
Although seismographs and the records obtained from seismographs are quite useful to study
some of the features of earthquakes and determine their hypocenter and magnitudes,
seismographs are of limited use for engineering applications. There are several reasons for
this limitations:
1. Seismographs cannot record the motion generated by strong earthquakes near epicenter
regions, which are precisely the motions that can cause widespread damage and are
therefore of engineering interest. Because the large amplification factor with which the
stylus off the recording film or paper in the seismograph located near the earthquake
epicenter.
2. Seismographs are invariably installed on solid rock as seismologist have a primordial
interest in measuring earth crust movements. Hence, conditions and the extent to which a
soil deposit can amplify the ground motion observed in rock.
3. Finally, the design of seismographs emphasizes accuracy in the timing of wave arrivals,
rather than in the amplitude of the waves. However, in engineering the amplitude of
motion is of greater significance than the time at which waves arrive.
DESIGN OF AN IMPROVISED SEISMOGRAPH
What you will need:
1. Cereal box/box
2. Cardboard sheet (size of cereal box)
3. Plastic cup with cover
4. Pencil
5. Scissors
6. Strip of paper (2" wide, by 2' long)
7. Piece of string
8. Rubber bands
9. Sand
Instructions:
1. Cut a rectangle out of both sides of a cereal box, leaving 1 inch wide edges.
2. Cut in the middle of the bottom edge, two narrow horizontal slots about 2 inches wide through which
you can slide the 2 foot long strip of paper.
3. Pierce a hole at the center of the top cup cover and another at the bottom of the cup.
4. Push a pencil, point down, through the two holes.
5. Fill the cup with sand around the pencil.
6. Thread string through the holes near the top of opposite sides of the cup.  Hang the cup from the
center of the cereal box by tying the string around a small stick at the center at the box top.
7. Adjust the length of the string so the tip of the pencil touches the strip of paper threaded through the
bottom cuts of the box.
8. Glue the bottom of the cereal box to one of the sheets of cardboard.
9. Shake the cardboard base back and forth.  The weighted pencil should stay put and will make a mark
on the paper strip you have moved through the cardboard base.  You will need a friend to guide the
strip of paper through the slits.
 ACCELEROGRAPHS
It is designed specifically to record strong earthquake ground motions and
installed in urban areas and other locations where they could furnish useful
information for engineering applications.
This instrument was introduced in the 1930s and is called strong motion
accelerograph or simply an earthquake accelerometer.
They are usually constructed as a self-contained box, which previously
included a paper or film recorder (an analogue instrument) but now they
often record directly on digital media and then the data is transmitted via the
Internet.
Analog Accelerograph
DIGITAL ACCELEROGRAPH
Accelerographs are designed to measure directly the variation of ground
acceleration with time. There are TWO REASONS WHY THEY ARE
DESIGNED TO MEASURE GROUND ACCELERATION AND NOT
GROUND DISPLACEMENT LIKE IN THE CASE OF SEISMOGRAPHS:
1. The first is that acceleration meters are easier to build than displacement
meters for measurements in the frequency range that is typical of strong ground
motions.
2. The second has to do with the fact that, in general, numerical integration is
more accurate than numerical differentiation. Hence, it is better to record
accelerator and integrate to obtain velocity and displacements rather than record
displacement and differentiate to obtain velocity and acceleration. The records
obtained from accelerographs are called accelerograms.
The first accelerogram ever recorded was obtained during the March 10, 1933
Long Beach Earthquake in South California.
ACCELEROGRAM 
 The graphical output from an accelerograph
Earthquake Network is a research
project started in January 2013 which develops a crowdsourced
Earthquake Early Warning system based on networks of
smartphones. As of today, around 5 million people took part in
the Earthquake Network project and the network has sent more
than 1’700 early warnings. To be part of the network and to
receive the real time alerts, please install the Earthquake
Network app from Google Play.
The idea is to use
the accelerometer on-board
smartphones to detect in real-
time the shaking induced by an
earthquake.  When an
earthquake is detected, a
warning is issued toward all the
smartphones in the network. If
you are not too close to the
epicenter, you can receive the
alert in advance and you can
take cover before you are
reached by the damaging waves
of the earthquake.
When an earthquake is
detected in real time, the
Earthquake Network
app automatically sends your
coordinates to a list of trusted
contacts. This is useful in
rescuing operations if you are
trapped under rubble and
cannot ask for help. If the
quake is detected in real time,
your position in sent before
Internet is compromised.
REFERENCES :
https://www.livescience.com/13188-japan-earthquake-seismograph-110311.html
http://ww2.d155.org/cg/tdirectory/cslinko/Shared%20Documents/Earth%20Science
%20301-302/Notes/Tools%20to%20Measure%20Quakes%20ppt.%203.pdf
https://www.iris.edu/hq/files/programs/education_and_outreach/aotm/8/Seismograp
h_Background.pdf
https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/seismometers-seismographs-seismograms-whats-differe
nce-how-do-they-work?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products
https://www.britannica.com/science/moment-magnitude
https://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/itineraries/image/img1247.html
Google images
THANK YOUUUUUUUU!
and
GOOD EVENING!