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"Quake-Catcher Network" Expands Citizen Science

CUSEC Program Manager Brian Blake tests Quake-Catcher Network (QCN) sensor

When the Earth shakes and we all Drop, Cover, and Hold On, imagine volunteer maintained seismometers being triggered in K-12 schools, museums, libraries, and park visitor centers in the area affected by the earthquake. Earthquake resilient community members are participating in citizen science – they are Quake Catchers! We respond and recover, and we all contribute to solving questions about earthquakes.

The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), the US Geological Survey, and the California Institute of Technology have embarked on a partnership to take the Quake-Catcher Network (QCN – qcn.caltech.edu) into a new era. QCN is a collaborative initiative for developing the world's largest, low-cost strong-motion seismic network by utilizing motion sensors in and attached to internet-connected computers.

QCN links volunteer hosted computers into a real-time motion-sensing network. The volunteer computers monitor vibrational sensors called micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers and digitally transmit "triggers" to QCN's servers whenever strong motions are observed. QCN's servers sift through these signals, and determine which ones represent earthquakes, and which ones represent cultural noise.

QCN partners are coordinating the installation of sensors, evolving QCN’s scientific tools, developing engagement activities, and creating next generation online resources. SCEC's contribution, led by Director for Education Robert-Michael de Groot includes over 145 installations around the United States and the development of activities that can be used in a variety of educational settings. Danielle Sumy (IRIS) and Elizabeth Cochran (USGS) are leading the development of new scientific tools and online resources for QCN.

Most recently, in coordination with Brian Blake at the Central United States Earthquake Consortium [CUSEC], QCN kicked off its expansion into Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. The Central U.S., while not prone to the same frequency of earthquakes as the West Coast and Alaska, has a rich seismic past, notably the large New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12.  

These states join Alaska, California, Oregon Washington, and Maine as part of the partnership. Expansion into Alaska and the Pacific Northwest was co-facilitated by the EarthScope Program through its Workshops for Interpreters and the Cascadia EarthScope Earthquake and Tsunami Program (CEETEP).

Several school districts and museums throughout Southern California have been instrumental in the development of the Quake-Catcher Network. Recently, the M4.2 earthquake in Fontana was caught by several area schools, including Etiwanda High School, Alta Loma High School, and Valley View High School all in the Chaffey Joint Union High School District (CJUHSD).  According to Mark Moya, Director of Technical Support for CJUHSD, QCN is a real time science learning opportunity that fulfills a key component of the Next Generation Science Standards where students are provided an opportunity to engage technology and use authentic scientific data.

Taking the lead in the Coachella Valley, Michaeleen Gallagher, Education Director at Sunnylands Center and Gardens in Rancho Mirage has organized the first QCN “Hub” which will recruit new participants, engage local QCN participants through trainings and special events. To learn more about QCN contact Robert de Groot at degroot@usc.edu.