The closure of economic institutions around the world as a result of the new corona virus has led to an unprecedented decline in the rate of geological ‘voices’.
The effects of the shutdown have been felt in seismometers, which are usually seen at midnight or during the holidays.
But this time the effects lasted from March to May and were felt in almost every corner of the globe, the first time in the history of seismology that the world has ever seen such a thing.
In a study published in the journal Science, seven scientists from 27 countries observed the effects of seismometers on the Earth.
They discovered that in the early months of this year, as the virus began to spread around the world, the Earth’s surface became unusually calm and quiet.
With the closure of economies, human activities ceased to exist and people were instructed to stay indoors for longer.
“You can never expect the effects of a disease to be seen on seismometers,” said Callist LeBlades, an expert at the California Institute of Technology.
The study collected data from 268 research stations around the world and looked at the impact of business closures in almost every region of the world.
Reports from Turkey, Chile, Iran, Costa Rica, Australia and several other countries were collected.
The effects were dramatic in Sri Lanka, where one station saw a 50 per cent drop in noise, while New York City’s Central Park saw a 10 per cent drop at night.
The researchers said the data would help differentiate between natural disasters and human-caused disasters and would also be a tool for monitoring human activities in the event of an epidemic.
Geologists use seismometers to move the earth, such as a break in the earth’s surface or a fault line that releases energy from an earthquake that causes the surface to vibrate.
A lesser effect occurs when a truck is suddenly braked and a wave of energy travels underground.
The graph goes up on a seismometer even as one walks, such graphs fall at night when human activity is minimal.
By the way, it is not surprising that the sounds are muted due to shutdowns, but the scale of the incident is staggering.
of