{"111701":{"#nid":"111701","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Listening to the 9.0-Magnitude Japanese Earthquake","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELast year\u2019s 9.0-magnitude Tohoku-Oki, Japan, earthquake was the fourth largest since 1900. However, because of thousands of seismometers in the region and Japan\u2019s willingness to share their measurements with the rest of the world, the Tohoku-Oki quake is the best-recorded earthquake of all-time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis plethora of information is allowing scientists to share their findings in unique ways. Zhigang Peng, associate professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, has converted the earthquake\u2019s seismic waves into audio files. The results allow experts and general audiences to \u201chear\u201d what the quake sounded like as it moved through the earth and around the globe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re able to bring earthquake data to life by combining seismic auditory and visual information,\u201d said Peng, whose research appears in the March\/April edition of Seismological Research Letters. \u201cPeople are able to hear pitch and amplitude changes while watching seismic frequency changes. Audiences can relate the earthquake signals to familiar sounds such as thunder, popcorn popping and fireworks.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe different sounds can help explain various aspects of the earthquake sequence, including the mainshock and nearby aftershocks. For example, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/geophysics.eas.gatech.edu\/people\/zpeng\/zpeng_paper\/Peng_etal_SRL_2012\/Japan_03112011_HTAH.mov\u0022\u003Ethis measurement\u003C\/a\u003E was taken near the coastline of Japan between Fukushima (the nuclear reactor site) and Tokyo. The initial blast of sound is the 9.0 mainshock. As the earth\u2019s plates slipped dozens of meters into new positions, aftershocks occured. They are indicated by \u201cpop\u201d noises immediately following the mainshock sound. These plate adjustments will likely continue for years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs the waves from the earthquake moved through the earth, they also triggered new earthquakes thousands of miles away. In \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/geophysics.eas.gatech.edu\/people\/zpeng\/zpeng_paper\/Peng_etal_SRL_2012\/Japan_03112011_PKD.mov\u0022\u003Ethis example\u003C\/a\u003E, taken from measurements in California, the quake created subtle movements deep in the San Andreas Fault. The initial noise, which sounds like distant thunder, corresponds with the Japanese mainshock. Afterwards, a continuous high-pitch sound, similar to rainfall that turns on and off, represents induced tremor activity at the fault. This animation not only help scientists explain the concept of distant triggering to general audiences, but also provides a useful tool for researchers to better identify and understand such seismic signals in other regions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe human ear is able to hear sounds for frequencies between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, a range on the high end for earthquake signals recorded by seismometers. Peng, graduate student Chastity Aiken and other collaborators in the U.S. and Japan simply played the data faster than true speed to increase the frequency to audible levels. The process also allows audiences to hear data recorded over minutes or hours in a matter of seconds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research is published in the March\/April edition of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.seismosoc.org\/publications\/SRL\/SRL_83\/srl_83-2_eq\/\u0022\u003ESeismological Research Letters\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more on the anniversary of the Japan disaster, visit \u003Ca title=\u0022www.gatech.edu\/experts\/japan-anniversary\u0022 href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/experts\/japan-anniversary\u0022\u003Ewww.gatech.edu\/experts\/japan-anniversary.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis project was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (CAREER Award No. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0956051\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEAR-0956051\u003C\/a\u003E). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Seismic waves converted to audio to study quake\u2019s traits"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EZhigang Peng, associate professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, has converted the seismic waves from last year\u0027s historic Japanese earthquake into audio files. The results allow experts and general audiences to \u201chear\u201d what the quake sounded like as it moved through the earth and around the globe.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Associate Professor Zhigang Peng has converted the Japanese earthquake\u2019s seismic waves into audio files."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2012-02-22 17:57:44","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:11:44","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/","title":"College of Sciences"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.eas.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"5770","name":"Earthquake"},{"id":"751","name":"Japan"},{"id":"347","name":"tsunami"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}