A SEISMIC ACHIEVEMENT!
‘HARRY’ THE SEISMOMETER NAMED BY GOREY COMMUNITY SCHOOL SIXTH YEAR GEOGRAPHY STUDENTS
A seismometer that records the Earth’s movements at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean has been named ‘Harry’ by sixth year students from Gorey Community School.
The students won a naming competition run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. This nationwide competition sought entries from around the country to name a SEA-SEIS seismometer which will record the Earth’s movements.
The sixth year students made their submission based on renowned geologist Harry H Hess who discovered the theory of sea-floor spreading.
They were presented with an award from chief scientist, Dr Sergei Lebedev, who is involved in the project.
Sixth year geography teacher Catherine O’Brien was delighted for all the students who received the award saying it was a real team effort over a number of weeks. She said the class decided to get involved in the competition last year after they studied the effects of plate tectonics in Ireland as part of their Geography Leaving Certificate course.
The ocean-bottom sensors on the meter record the tiny vibrations of the Earth caused by seismic waves, generated by earthquakes and by the ocean waves. As the waves propagate through the Earth’s interior on their way to the seismic stations, they accumulate information on the structure of the Earth that they encounter.