Geophysics and Seismology:

Overview

A bell will ring when you strike it. Similarly, layers of earth "ring" during an earthquake. What happens to the buildings that are sitting on those layers?

Studying the nonlinear elastic wave dynamics of earthquakes is just one aspect of Los Alamos research in geophysics and seismology.

Mission

The knowledge we gain helps us to

• monitor nuclear weapons treaties,
• improve microhole drilling technology,
• image underground rock masses and fossil fuel deposits,
• monitor fault-line activity,
• and understand how rocks and buildings move during earthquakes.

Goal

We explore the seismic and acoustic signals that provide information about disturbances, both natural and man made, within the earth's crust.

We are interested in the source, source region, and propagation path of vibrations as they travel through the earth's varying geologic structures.

Search EES Capabilities.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• GISLab
• Los Alamos Dynamic Stress Stimulation Laboratory for Enhanced Porous Fluid Flow Studies
• Los Alamos Seismic Network Station

Related Initiatives

• Homeland Security
• Nuclear Weapons Effects