Seismometers in Virginia Schools
Synopsis:
The goal of this fundraiser is to raise funds to purchase 266 Raspberry Shakes (seismographs) and 266 Raspberry Booms (infrasound sensors) to install in schools across Virginia to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) learning, for local community outreach use, and data collection.
Background:
On August 23, 2011 at 1:51 pm, people living in Virginia and many surrounding states were given a powerful reminder that, while relatively rare, large earthquakes can happen on the east coast. A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck in Louisa County in central Virginia, shaking structures up and down the eastern US and even parts of Canada. The majority of damage caused by the earthquake was near the epicenter, but reports of minor damage were received from as far away as New York State.
While there is now a better understanding of the hazards posed by earthquakes in Virginia, thanks in part to studies conducted following the 2011 magnitude 5.8 earthquake, public outreach is a constant need to prepare for and mitigate the risks of the next big east coast earthquake. On the evening of August 31, 1886, an earthquake estimated to be between magnitudes 6.9-7.3 struck Charleston, SC, causing structural damage as far north as Richmond, VA. Throughout the state, chimneys were damaged or destroyed, windows shattered, and plaster was cracked. This event should serve as a reminder that an even larger earthquake than the 2011 earthquake, although extremely unlikely, is possible on the east coast.
The below graphic shows that while most of the earthquakes that occur in Virginia are centered in 2 distinct seismic zones (pink and blue), earthquakes can occur anywhere in the state. In addition, another seismic zone extends from Tennessee into portions of far Southwest Virginia (green).
The above map shows the locations of known earthquake epicenters in Virginia. The Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone is shown in green, the Giles County seismic zone is shown in blue and the Central Virginia seismic zone is shown in pink. This map is courtesy of the Virginia Division of Geology and Mineral Resources, and can be found on their Earthquakes page here: Virginia Geological Survey Earthquakes Page 
The above map shows the density of earthquake epicenters in Virginia and surrounding areas, highlighting the 3 seismic zones in and near the state. This map is also courtesy of the Virginia Division of Geology and Mineral Resources, and can be found on their Mapping Seismic Hazards In Virginia webpage here: Virginia Geological Survey Mapping Seismic Hazards Page
Goal:
The goal of this fundraiser is to raise funds to purchase 266 Raspberry Shakes (seismographs) and 266 Raspberry Booms (infrasound sensors) to install in schools across Virginia. The plan is to install 2 Raspberry Shakes per county and independent city, with the Raspberry Booms collocated with the Shakes. There are 95 counties and 38 independent cities in Virginia, creating a need for 266 of each type to achieve this goal. This will be broken down into 133 Raspberry Shake 3Ds, 133 Raspberry Shake 4Ds, and 266 Raspberry Booms.
The seismographs will be used for STEAM educational use, community outreach, and to create a dense network of seismographs across the state to capture data from future earthquakes, for research and other purposes. The infrasound sensors will be installed at the same locations as the seismographs, mainly for STEAM purposes, since these devices capture sound waves in the atmosphere that are too low for humans to hear. In addition to giving students access to nearby devices that allow them to see how the world around them is moving (both from natural causes and daily human activities), it is hoped that this will provide a good opportunity for students to learn about the hazards earthquakes pose, how to mitigate the risks before the next one strikes, and safety rules for when the next one does hit.
The main differences between the RS 3Ds and RS 4Ds are:
-RS 3Ds have 3 geophones, capable of recording motion in the vertical, east-west, and north-south axis. These geophones are extremely sensitive, and can be oversaturated in larger earthquakes
-RS 4Ds only have 1 geophone, which is oriented in the vertical position. The 4Ds also have 3 microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers, capable of handling much larger shocks without becoming oversaturated. These 3 MEMS are oriented to measure vertical, east-west, and north-south motions
Cost* estimates per sensor:
-RS 3D: ~$1100 per sensor
-RS 4D: ~$650 per sensor
-RS Boom: ~$700 per sensor
*Note: If you visit the Raspberry Shake website (URL below), you will see that there are hobby/education based discounts. The estimates I compiled are using the full price of the sensors, because I intend for the data collected to be used for purposes other than just strictly hobby/educational (i.e. research, monitoring, etc). You will also see that I rounded the costs up approximately $25, this is to cover shipping and any other possible expenses.
Total cost estimates:
-133 RS 3Ds will cost approximately $146,300
-133 RS 4Ds will cost approximately $86,450
-266 RS Booms will cost approximately $186,200
Total cost:
For all sensors, the total purchase cost will be approximately $418,950
For further information on the different products Raspberry Shake offers, please visit: https://raspberryshake.org/
Here are a few interesting things I have captured on my Raspberry Shake 4D over the last few years!
On the evening of November 15, 2019, my RS 4D recorded a M3.1 earthquake that occurred approximately 69 miles to the SE of where I was living at the time, Cold Bay, AK. Cold Bay is a city near the end of the Alaska Peninsula, with a permanent year round population of roughly 45 people.
This is what the earthquake sounded like to my seismograph, with the frequencies raised to within human hearing range. Please note that the playback speed is sped up, as the video covers 300 seconds of real time recordings.
On the evening of July 21, 2020 (early morning July 22, 2020 for us in Virginia), a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck offshore of the Alaska Peninsula. I had moved to central Virginia just a few months before this event and set up my RS 4D near Palmyra, VA, where the seismograph recorded waves from the 7.8M earthquake as they passed through central Virginia (these waves are too small for us to feel, but the extremely sensitive seismographs can record them). The spectrogram view from my Raspberry Shake shows that it took almost an hour for things to quiet down following this large earthquake. In addition, you can clearly see where the seismograph was picking us up as we walked around the house:
This is what the earthquake sounded like to my seismograph, with the frequencies raised to within human hearing range. Please note that the playback speed is sped up, as the video covers 300 seconds of real time recordings.
In addition to footsteps and earthquakes, Raspberry Shakes are capable of picking up plenty of other cultural noise, as well. In this example, a couple of our neighbors own dump trucks, and my Raspberry Shake would very clearly pick up the trucks idling in the mornings, followed by the dump trucks driving either by the house or near the house. These dump trucks are located over 500 feet away from where the Raspberry Shake is housed, with the main dump truck captured in the below images being housed approximately 750 feet away.
Below is a close up of the wave view of one of the dump trucks idling and then driving by the house:
Below is the spectrogram view of the same data as above. The idling caused vibrations mainly centered around the 30 Hz frequency, increasing as the engine revved up as the truck started moving. The dump truck then caused vibrations ranging from approximately 8 Hz to 45 Hz as it drove by the house.
This is what the dump truck idling and then driving by sounded like to my seismograph, with the frequencies raised to within human hearing range. Please note that the playback speed is sped up, as the video covers 500 seconds of real time recordings.
In this example, my Raspberry Shake picked up both my dryer running, as well as the seismic waves from a magnitude 5.9 earthquake that occurred off the coast of Oregon.
These are just a few of the things students and teachers could explore across the state when this project is fully funded. Thank you for reviewing and considering donating to this project!
