The coronavirus has brought daily life in the world to a halt in such a way that the earth itself also seems to move less. Geoscientists worldwide measure less and less seismic noise, or ground movements or vibrations of the earth. “That noise is normally caused by traffic and industry,” seismologist Läslo Evers told NU.nl on Monday morning.
Millions of driving cars and working machines hinder seismologists in every country from detecting earthquakes, because daily life itself also causes small vibrations.
Now that the noise has disappeared, scientists can also analyze smaller earthquakes and conduct more accurate research into volcanic activities, the journal wrote Nature earlier. Normally they only get that chance during Christmas, if the same amount of noise reduction occurs, according to the trade magazine.
However, it does not seem to matter too much for the Netherlands, according to Evers. “We already have specialized equipment that can make a lot of distinction, but other countries can now analyze special data. Our detection limit has been moved, so that we can detect much more smaller tremors.”
Substantial decrease in ground movements in the Netherlands after corona measures
Evers saw the seismic noise in the Netherlands decrease by 30 to 50 percent since March 13, the day on which the first measures against the coronavirus were implemented, the same decrease that Belgian colleagues reported earlier.
The noise or vibration reduction also provides opportunities for seismologists to analyze ground movements that are normally obstructed by seismic noise, such as scientists who study huge ocean waves.
The speed at which these waves move is measured with detectors that are sensitive to human activities on the mainland. A decrease in activities makes research results into these natural phenomena more accurate and better, according to seismologist Thomas Lecocq in conversation with Nature.
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The dotted blue line shows the start of homework measures within the Netherlands. The dotted yellow line shows the daily mean of seismic noise, while the blue colored bars represent the weekend. Earth’s ground movements are measured in nanometers (NM).
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The coronavirus in short
- The coronavirus mainly spreads from person to person via sneezing and cough drops. The chance of becoming infected through surfaces such as door handles is small. This chance decreases if you wash your hands often.
- You can considerably reduce the chance of spreading by keeping at least 1.5 meters away from others.
- The corona measures have resulted in an infected person infecting less than one other person on average. Previously, this so-called reproduction number was between two and three.
- The vast majority of patients have mild (flu-like) complaints.
- Almost all deaths involve the elderly or other vulnerable persons, such as heart, lung or diabetes patients. If everyone complies with the measures, this reduces their risks.
- Read here what precautions you should take.
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