Provides real-time detection of magnitude 3.5 earthquakes up to 150 km away and magnitude 6.5 quakes anywhere in the world!

Built on the proven IRIS (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology) pattern, this vertical seismometer can be placed at any stable, relatively undisturbed location in your school. It will continuously deliver seismic signals to a computer for storage, analysis, and display. It detects the P and S waves generated by an earthquake and slower Rayleigh-type surface waves, as well. The School Seismometer comes with Windows® software that displays a full day’s recording on a single screen and automatically saves and organizes the data for later analysis. The software supports the identification of different types of ground waves in an earthquake, extraction of the earthquake signal, and determination of the distance and intensity of the quake. For an attention-getting classroom demonstration, the software’s filters can be applied to the data to "tune" the display to emphasize the typical vibrations caused by students’ movements or to eliminate those vibrations and show only seismic events. System requirements: PC with Windows® 2000 or higher.

The heart of the seismometer is its long horizontal boom. One end of the boom is supported by a spring and has a heavy magnet and balance weight. The other end of the boom has a knife edge that pivots on a vertical post. A vane mounted on the boom is immersed in a container of damping oil to dampen boom movement. The magnet on the boom fits over a coil mounted on the seismometer’s base. When a vibration or earth tremor shakes the instrument, the boom and magnet move, generating an electrical signal in the coil by induction. The signal is amplified in the interface box and passed to the computer to be recorded and displayed. To ensure long and trouble-free operation, we strongly recommend purchasing the available clear acrylic Dust Cover (item #GEO471) to protect the instrument from dust accumulation and drafts.