Seismometers Installed to Gather Data on Oklahoma Earthquakes

By Charles Bassett, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Scientists with the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology are in rural Pottawatomie County installing a seismometer as part of the EarthScope project.

The instruments will gather images of underground formations in Oklahoma to learn more about earthquakes across the state. 

"These were designed to learn about the tectonic history of the United States and to image the rocks from the surface here down all the way through the earth," said Austin Holland with the Oklahoma Geological Survey.

Researchers with the Oklahoma Geological Survey are already using the seismometers to pinpoint some of the earthquakes the state has been feeling.

"Without the transportable array stations, we would have been only able to locate them with a very crude location," Holland said.

The national project collecting the data is called EarthScope. The project is moving 400 of the devices from the west coast to the east. Learn more about the Earthscope project.

When seismic activity is detected, the array stations record the activity. To ensure the accuracy of the data, the array stations have to be placed in isolated areas away from traffic and people. Most are on private land.

"A lot of the people were surprisingly very friendly and very open to letting us dig a six foot hole in their backyard," said Catherine Cox, an OU Doctoral student.

The array stations will be in Oklahoma for about two years before continuing their trek eastward. But some will remain under the supervision of the Oklahoma Geological Survey.

Twenty seismometers are already in Oklahoma and a total of 39 will be installed.