FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 1/23/15                                  for more information: 214-533-8374

A seismograph, or seismometer, is an instrument used to detect and record earthquakes. Generally, it consists of a mass attached to a fixed base. Al Hrubetz, a long-time supporter of Bishop Dunne and a retired geologist, has donated one of the two he owns to the science department to begin tracking earthquakes in our area.

Earthquakes generate seismic waves which can be detected with this sensitive instrument. The earliest seismograph was invented in China by a man named Choko in the year 136 A.D. Advances in seismograph technology have increased our understanding of both earthquakes and the Earth itself.
 
During an earthquake, the base of a seismograph moves and the mass does not. The motion of the base with respect to the mass is commonly transformed into an electrical voltage. The electrical voltage is recorded on paper, magnetic tape, or another recording medium. This record is proportional to the motion of the seismometer mass relative to the earth, but it can be mathematically converted to a record of the absolute motion of the ground. “Seismograph” generally refers to the seismometer and its recording device as a single unit.
 
This donation comes at a time when Dallas and Irving experienced an unprecedented number of recent small quakes. Just to our north, in Oklahoma, the state is experiencing several earthquakes a week, including six on January 15, 2015,  53 in the first week of January, 155 in the past month, and 1,511 earthquakes last year.
 
Mr. Hrubitz says that, once set up, Bishop Dunne will be the only facility with a working seismograph in the area.

For more information, see the school's website: www.bdcs.org.

Judith E. Porter, M.T.S., M.B.A.