My Homebuilt Seismometer

LIVE Seismometer Helicorder Drum plot
LIVE data from my seismometer, updated every 10 minutes. Hit reload to get the latest. Click here for a plot of the past 24 hours, and for the magnitude, location, and distance of quakes detected.

In 1996 I put together a seismometer from parts I had lying around my garage. Much to my surprise, it actually detects earthquakes! Please have a look at the pages below for information on some of the neat things I have been able to do with it:

Trace of mag 6.3 near Vancouver Island on Oct 6, 1996
Trace of mag 6.3 earthquake 1,250 miles away near Vancouver Island on Oct 6, 1996

Here are snapshots of some interesting events, click on the link for a graphic. These are simply archived copies of the live drum plots linked at the top of this page.

Trace of mag 7.9 near Santa Cruz Islands on April 21, 1997
Trace of mag 7.9 quake 5,900 miles away near Santa Cruz Islands on April 21, 1997

Below is a list of all of the earthquakes I have felt in the past few years. The list is incomplete before 1996; only after I built my seismometer have I been keeping track of the little quakes.

Some statistics (based on data above, as of 2007):

Trace of mag 2.4 in La Jolla, California on June 12, 1997
Trace of mag 2.4 earthquake 10 miles away in La Jolla, California on June 12, 1997

Please take a peek at my home page for more cool stuff.

Comments? Questions? Click here to send email to me, Fred Bruenjes.

All text and images are © 1996-2007 Manfred Bruenjes - All Rights Reserved. Image inlining is strictly prohibited. Email for permission before using an image or text.