Caltech Seismological Laboratory
Encyclopedia
The Caltech Seismological Laboratory is an arm of the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences of the California Institute of Technology
. Known as the Seismo Lab, it has been a world center for seismology research since the 1920s, and was for many decades a go-to source for rapid (and quotable) commentary to the press on large earthquakes.
The Seismo Lab was established under the auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Washington
in 1921 under leadership of Harry Wood. By 1926 it had become a cooperative venture between Carnegie and Caltech. In 1937 it was formally transferred in full to Caltech.
Requiring accessible bedrock on which to place seismometers, the Seismo Lab could not originally be located on the Caltech campus, which is on alluvium. Instead, its first two homes were in Pasadena's Linda Vista
neighborhood, a granitic outcropping. Its first home, at 220 N. San Rafael Avenue, was a modest two-story laboratory building (later known as "Charles Richter Laboratory"). By 1958 it had outgrown the site and expanded to an adjacent property at 295 N. San Rafael, into what had been an 11000 sq ft (1020 sq m) mansion, complete with marble staircases, 9 bedrooms with connecting baths, and gardens. (This property was later seen in the film The Italian Job
, as character Ed Norton's home.) The horizontal tunnel in which seismometers were installed was a former passageway (with private elevator) between the mansion and the lower tennis courts.
By 1974 had it become possible to transmit seismic signals electronically from remote seismometers, and the Seismo Lab was then relocated to the Caltech campus, becoming over time more integrated into, and less distinct from, the Caltech Division in which it is administratively situated.
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. Known as the Seismo Lab, it has been a world center for seismology research since the 1920s, and was for many decades a go-to source for rapid (and quotable) commentary to the press on large earthquakes.
The Seismo Lab was established under the auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Washington
Carnegie Institution for Science
The Carnegie Institution for Science is an organization in the United States established to support scientific research....
in 1921 under leadership of Harry Wood. By 1926 it had become a cooperative venture between Carnegie and Caltech. In 1937 it was formally transferred in full to Caltech.
Requiring accessible bedrock on which to place seismometers, the Seismo Lab could not originally be located on the Caltech campus, which is on alluvium. Instead, its first two homes were in Pasadena's Linda Vista
Linda Vista, Pasadena, California
Linda Vista is a neighborhood in Pasadena, California. It is Pasadena's wealthiest neighborhood and its largest neighborhood by area. It's bordered by Oak Grove Drive to the north, Colorado Boulevard to the south, the Pasadena-Glendale border to the west, and Linda Vista Avenue to the...
neighborhood, a granitic outcropping. Its first home, at 220 N. San Rafael Avenue, was a modest two-story laboratory building (later known as "Charles Richter Laboratory"). By 1958 it had outgrown the site and expanded to an adjacent property at 295 N. San Rafael, into what had been an 11000 sq ft (1020 sq m) mansion, complete with marble staircases, 9 bedrooms with connecting baths, and gardens. (This property was later seen in the film The Italian Job
The Italian Job (2003 film)
The Italian Job is a 2003 heist film directed by F. Gary Gray. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Jason Statham, Mos Def, and Donald Sutherland. It is an American remake of a 1969 British film of the same name, and is about a team of thieves who plan to steal...
, as character Ed Norton's home.) The horizontal tunnel in which seismometers were installed was a former passageway (with private elevator) between the mansion and the lower tennis courts.
By 1974 had it become possible to transmit seismic signals electronically from remote seismometers, and the Seismo Lab was then relocated to the Caltech campus, becoming over time more integrated into, and less distinct from, the Caltech Division in which it is administratively situated.
Directors of the Seismological Laboratory
- Harry O. Wood (1921-1946)
- Beno GutenbergBeno GutenbergBeno Gutenberg was a German-American seismologist who made several important contributions to the science...
(1946-1957) - Frank PressFrank PressFrank Press is an American geophysicist.Born in Brooklyn, New York, Press was science advisor to President Jimmy Carter from1976 to 1980,and president of the U.S. NationalAcademy of Sciences from 1981 to 1993...
(1957-1965) - Don L. AndersonDon L. AndersonDon Lynn Anderson is an American geophysicist who has made important contributions to the determination of the large-scale structure of the Earth's interior, especially using seismological methods. He is Eleanor and John R. McMillan Professor emeritus of geophysics at the California Institute of...
(1967-1989) - Hiroo KanamoriHiroo Kanamoriis a Japanese American seismologist who has made fundamental contributions to understanding the physics of earthquakes and the tectonic processes that cause them....
(1990-1998) - Don Helmberger (1998-2003)
- Jeroen Tromp (2003-2008)
- Michael GurnisMike GurnisMichael Gurnis , is the John E. and Hazel S. Smits Professor of Geophysics at the California Institute of Technology.Dr...
(2009- )
Notable Faculty of the Seismological Laboratory
- John P. Buwalda
- Hugo BenioffHugo BenioffVictor Hugo Benioff was an American seismologist and a professor at the California Institute of Technology. He is best remembered for his work in charting the location of deep earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean....
- Charles Francis RichterCharles Francis RichterCharles Francis Richter , was an American seismologist and physicist. Richter is most famous as the creator of the Richter magnitude scale which, until the development of the moment magnitude scale in 1979, quantified the size of earthquakes...