Article
Article
Seismographic instrumentation
Article By:
McEvilly, Thomas V. Department of Geology, University of California, Berkeley, California.
Uhrhammer, Robert A. Seismological Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.613200
Various devices or systems of devices for measuring movement in the Earth. Ground motion is generally the result of passing seismic waves, gravitational tides, atmospheric processes, and tectonic processes. Seismographic instrumentation typically consists of a sensing element (seismometer), a signal-conditioning element or elements (galvanometer, mechanical or electronic amplifier, filters, analog-to-digital conversion circuitry, telemetry, and so on), and a recording element (analog visible or direct, frequency modulation, or digital magnetic tape or disk). Seismographs are used for earthquake studies, investigations of the Earth's gravity field, nuclear explosion monitoring, petroleum exploration, and industrial vibration measurement.
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