The First Seismogram from
a Distant Earthquake
Seismology is a fairly young science; recordings of earth motion
(seismograms) have only been made for about 100 years. Shown is
what is widely considered to be the first remote (teleseismic) seismogram,
made on April 17, 1889, in Potsdam, Germany by E. von Rebeur-Pacshwitz
(Nature, 1889). The instrument was a photographically recording
horizontal pendulum originally installed for astronomical purposes.
The earthquake was in Japan and had a magnitude of about 5.8. The
realization that distant earthquakes could be recorded anywhere
on the planet with sensitive instruments deployed at quiet sites,
coupled with theoretical progress in the understanding of elastic
behavior in solids, ushered in the present modern era of seismology
and associated discovery of the Earth's interior.
Related Link: USGS
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