If all is well, you received a TC1 seismometer, a computer with everything installed, and a flat-packed protective case.

• Unpack the computer and TC1. Plug the power, the usb keyboard/mouse and ethernet cable into the computer.
• Connect the TC1 to the computer with the USB cable in the USB port marked “TC1.”
• Hook the magnets to the slinky attached to the inside of the top cap of the TC1.

• Lower the magnets into the tube so that the bottom magnet is inside the copper damping ring and the top magnet is inside the coil.
• Level the magnets with the three knobs on the legs. The goal is to make sure the magnets do not touch the rings.
• Also, make sure the top of the magnets are flush with the top of the copper ring and coil, respectively. Small adjustments to the vertical position of the magnets can be made with the knob on the top lid.

Now turn on the computer. All the necessary software to display your seismic data will turn on automatically. The most recent versions of the station software include a standard slide-show that explains the TC1, has acknowledgements, a map of NZ latest earthquakes (data courtesy of geonet), and the seismic data from your station.

You can turn the slide show on and off in the bottom
control panel. Just go the bottom of the screen with your mouse, and the button will appear.

Next, we assemble the case, and place it over the TC1. We recommend fastening the case to a wall, or to the floor.

Congratulations! You are up and running! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us using the mailing list on the left.

Soon, you will see your first signals!

If your institution wants to get involved in the Ru network, there are a couple of things to consider. In terms of hardware, you will need a public place (library, or foyer) with easy access to:

1. power,  and
2. a wired internet connection

The hardware you need consists of:

1. the TC1 seismometer,
2. a dedicated computer,
3. a case to protect the device from bumps.

Maybe most importantly, you need a Station Manager.  A teacher would be the most logical choice, but it could be  a parent. The station manager does not need to be a seismologist, but  someone who can field basic questions from students,  solve small problems with the station, and relay bigger ones to us for troubleshooting.

To give you an idea on how your class project may go, you can watch this video.

In the early days, support from the Foundation of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, allowed us to sponsor scholarships available for the most suited institutions. The current model is for schools to self-fund the hardware. If you want to know more, please write us.

Head of Science at Rangi Ruru Girl’s School, Keith Machin, wrote a wonderful article about Rangi’s first experiences in the Ru network of TC1 seismometers. In the article, Keith also proposed 10 lessons for teaching the topic of earthquakes.

Thank you, Keith!

There are several school networks of seismology around the world:

• USA
• UK
• Australia
• France

If we forgot a school seismic network, send us a message!

We are very proud to announce that our team now includes Dan Hikuroa from Nga Pae o te Maramatanga, New Zealand’s Indigenous Centre of Research Excellence. There are several projects around the globe that do seismology in schools, but to celebrate New Zealand’s unique cultural heritage and its natural expressions such as earthquakes and volcanoes, we decided to name our network “Ru”, short for Ruaumoko, The Maori God of Earthquakes and Volcanoes.

Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) – produced over a time span of 1000 years, offers the longest record of New Zealand earthquakes available.

The name Rū is the Māori word for earthquakes, itself derived from Rūaumoko the deity of earthquakes (also known as Whakaruaimoko, Rūamoko, Rūaimoko, Whakarūamoko, Rūaimokoroa).

In Māori tradition, earthquakes are caused by Rūaumoko, the son of Ranginui (the Sky-father) and his wife Papatūānuku (the Earth-mother). Rangi had been separated from Papa by one of their sons Tānenuiarangi, and because they pined for one another so much, producing clouds, rain, mist, frost and snow, their sons resolved to turn their mother face downwards, away from Rangi towards Rarohenga, the underworld. When Papatūānuku was turned over Rūaumoko was still at her breast and was carried to the world below where he was given fire – te ahi komau to provide warmth and comfort for his mother. To avenge the ill-treatment of his parents, Rūaumoko constantly battles humankind, physically manifested by earthquakes and volcanoes. Although a geological interpretation of the ultimate explanations of why we experience earthquakes and volcanoes differs fundamentally from that given above, some interesting commonalities exist, most notably that earthquakes and volcanoes are caused by the same processes – heat causing earthquakes and volcanoes.

More often than not, the screen of your seismic stations may look something like this:

Overall, the wiggles are small. The few spikes in this case are probably due to some electronic interference in the area where station AUCK is housed.

BUT: If you see something on your seismometer screen that stands out from the rest of your recordings, like this:

Then, there are a number of things you can check to see if you recorded an earthquake (or if this was some noise generated by bumping into the sensor, for example).

Geonet

Geonet is “the official source of geological hazard information for New Zealand,” according to the site.  They run a large network of seismometers in New Zealand, whose data is the source of information about all recorded earthquakes in New Zealand. Can you find an earthquake that would arrive at your school at the time of your signal?

USGS

The United States Geological Survey runs a world-wide version of Geonet. Its list of recent earthquakes can be found here.

If you want to get updates via email, text message or twitter, you can sign up for alerts from Geonet and from the USGS.

Your sister institutions

You can also directly compare the wiggles on your screen with either the wiggles from the other schools in the network, or with the closest “live” signals that geonet provides.  In this last link is a map on the right where you can find the station that is closest to your school.