Mapping the Heat Beneath

News posts

What causes earthquakes, and why are they so unpredictable? Seismic waves that pass through the planet hold the answer to these questions. Their patterns can reveal hidden dynamics—hotspots, deep-diving rock, melting mantle—in Earth's interior. An array of seismometers installed across the United States is now allowing geophysicists to plot revelatory views of the Earth engine deep beneath our feet.

Tonight, using data from seismometers, Earth scientists, astrophysicists, and sound artists, including Ben Holtzman of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Jason Candler of New York University, will present the sights and sounds of seismic waves in an immersive experience, SeismoDome: Sight and Sound of Earthquakes and Global Activity in the Hayden Planetarium Space Theater. Through visualizations and sound, the audience can experience five earthquakes from the last decade as observed from space and deep inside Earth.

Look for this program and others at the Museum this fall on the Museum's calendar.