Shh. Peaceful.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought chaos to lives and economies around the world. But efforts to curb the spread of the virus might mean that the planet itself is moving a little less. Researchers who study Earth’s movement are reporting a drop in seismic noise — the hum of vibrations in the planet’s crust — that could be the result of transport networks and other human activities being shut down. They say this could allow detectors to spot smaller earthquakes and boost efforts to monitor volcanic activity and other seismic events.

A noise reduction of this magnitude is usually only experienced briefly around Christmas, says Thomas Lecocq, a seismologist the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Brussels, where the drop has been observed.

One thought on “Shh. Peaceful.

  1. russell

    I remember similar things happened around 9/11.

    It would be fine with me if the whole planet took a couple of weeks off every year. Maybe a week a quarter.

    Just stay home, chill, and let the world breathe for a minute.

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