If you’ve ever wondered what the device is in the glass case in reception, it is our Science department Seismometer (or Earthquake detector). Seismometers are “instruments that measure motion of the ground, including those of seismic waves generated by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other seismic sources. Records of seismic waves allow seismologists to map the interior of the Earth, and locate and measure the size of these different sources.” (Wikipedia)
On the evening of Tuesday 3rd January between 18:48 and 18:49, our Seismometer sprung into action, picking up this spike caused by the 3.9 earthquake off the coast of Yorkshire:
