UTO
Geology Department - The University of Toledo
Seismograms from UTO Ohio Earthquake Information
Links to other earthquake sites
Question for a seismologist? Ask dstierm@geology.utoledo.edu What about earthquake prediction?
Seismograph Station UTO is the oldest continuously operating earthquake observatory in the state of Ohio. Located on the main campus of The University of Toledo, sensors are set under the southeast stairwell (arrow) of Bowman-Oddy Laboratories at 41.65935 degrees North, 83.61796 degrees West, elevation approximately 585 feet.
These instruments were donated to The University of Toledo by The University of Michigan in the early 1980s. The tall case houses a short-period vertical instrument (ZSP) and the low case houses a long period vertical (ZLP) transducer.
The ZLP is vintage 1960, WWSN design. Yes, that is rust on the
exterior of the base. A broken pipe flooded the vault several years ago but the cases
remained sealed, protecting delicate transducers from serious damage. Campus tours usually
do not include a visit to this vault.
Signals are sent by wire to a display on the third floor of Bownam-Oddy Laboratories. High and dry - come on by and see what's shaken'!
The drum
on the left records long period motions and is
best for viewing distant earthquakes. We generally get something from each event over
magnitude 6.3 anywhere on earth. The drum on the right detects those rare local events too
brief to incite a response in the long period instrument. We also record quarry blasts.
Thunder and other atmospheric disturbances do not appear to affect our seismograms, but we
do pick up a lot of noise from surface traffic some days.
This display is always in public view. Seismograms from recent large earthquakes, as well as records from Ohio earthquakes of the past 13 years, are posted on the wall beyond the display cabinet. Under the drums is a digital clock that gains less than 1 second per month, and a radio receiver tuned to WWV, the National Bureau of Standards, which allows us to synchronize our clock with that of other earthquake observatories. Do you reset your clock when we have a "leap second"?
Why are there earthquakes? Watching for OSU's new seismographic station? Frank and Ernest opinions.
Travel time curves used for local earthquakes (coming soon)
How we calculate magnitudes of local earthquakes (coming soon)
You are the person to visit our vault.