Seismometer registers Japanese earthquake on Duncreggan Road
Foyle and Londonderry College student Stephen Chi studies the richter scale readings from Friday's Japanese earthquake.
A Derry seismometer clearly recorded Friday’s devastating Japanese earthquake, despite the epicenter being on the opposite side of the world.
Head of Geology at Foyle and Londonderry College, William Lynn, said: “We came into school on Friday morning and were surprised to see just how clearly the seismometer had recorded the quake. The printout is very clear. The quake started at 5.30am and we could even see the magnitude of it. It registered over eight points on the Richter Scale. We could also calculate the depth of the epicentre which was 33km below sea level, which really is very shallow.”
The school experienced a lot of interest in the recordings as pupils and teachers alike kept abreast of the developments and newscasts during the day.
“There has been a constant stream of pupils coming in to see the machine,” said Mr. Lynn on Friday.
The seismometer was donated to the school by the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland last June. It sits atop a concrete slab in a science lab and not a classroom so it’s not affected by pupils during day-to-day school life. Foyle College is one of only four schools in the North to house one.
“This is the largest we’ve recorded in that time,” continued Mr. Lynn, who has taught at the Duncreggan Road based College for 37 years.
“There wasn’t much of a print out following the New Zealand quake but we have recorded several of the aftershocks which have affected Japan. There are readings for 10am, 12noon and a quite large one just after 1pm. Some of those are measuring as high as the New Zealand quake, that is a six on the Richter Scale. These aftershocks can go on for weeks.”
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Weather for Derry
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
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Temperature: 8 C to 16 C
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