Slide presentation at the SAS conference

You might ask..

How in the World could amateurs add to the understanding of physical processes involved in the preparation phase of earthquakes?

It turns out, one of the more important discoveries in this regard was made by an amateur scientist. He traveled extensively, and always kept some of his favorite instruments within easy reach. He liked the barometer, and had a small pocket electrometer.

Once, when traveling in Venezuela, he became curious about some strange atmospheric events. He noted in his journal that he had observed electricity in the air after seeing the pith balls of his pocket Volta electrometer deflected from one another by four lines, often alternating between positive and negative. As one of the more powerful electric discharges was taking place, he noted that two strong tremors struck.

The amateur scientist was Alexander von Humboldt, and the year was 1799. His careful observations of ocean currents off South America also gained him some notoriety in that realm of science. The Humboldt current was, of course, discovered by and named for him.

So, can amateur science contribute in any meaningful way to the study of earthquake precursor phenomena? Of course we can! We can use our ingenuity to design and build instruments with contemporary devices that run rings around those of Humboldt’s day.