Follow the Trace: Becoming a Seismo-Detective with a Campus-Based Raspberry Shake Seismometer

Abstract

Abstract Seismic signals, whether caused by earthquakes, other natural phenomena, or artificial noise sources, have specific characteristics in the time and frequency domains that contain crucial information reflecting their source. The analysis of seismic time series is an essential part of every seismology-oriented study program. Enabling students to work with data collected from their own campus, including signals from both anthropogenic and natural seismic sources, can provide vivid, practical examples to make abstract concepts communicated in classes more concrete and relevant. Data from research-grade broadband seismometers enable us to record time series of vibrations at a broad range of frequencies; however, these sensors are costly and are often deployed in remote places. Participation in the Raspberry Shake citizen science network enables seismology educators to record seismic signals on our own campuses and use these recordings in our classrooms and for public outreach. Yale University installed a Raspberry Shake three-component, low-cost seismometer in the Earth and Planetary Sciences department building in Summer 2022, enabling the detection of local, regional, and teleseismic earthquakes, microseismic noise, and anthropogenic noise sources from building construction, an explosive event in a steam tunnel, and general building use. Here, we discuss and illustrate the use of data from our Raspberry Shake in outreach and education activities at Yale. In particular, we highlight a series of ObsPy-based exercises that will be used in courses taught in our department, including our upper-level Introduction to Seismology course and our undergraduate classes on Natural Disasters and Forensic Geoscience.