Coronavirus lockdown: The seismologist monitoring a quieter earth

Scientists around the world say the earth is vibrating less because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to seismologists having millions of people around the world confined to their homes has allowed them to pick up activity they wouldn’t have been able to spot before - like minor earthquakes - even by using home equipment in some of the world’s busiest cities.

Paula Koelemeijer, a Global Seismologist at Royal Holloway, University of London, has put her equipment under her fireplace (so it's undisturbed and has the best possible contact to the earth).

(Photo: Paula checks her equipment under her fireplace at home. Credit: Paula Koelemeijer)