Gerencher's Seismograph Page

My work with seismic systems at Moravian extended from 1986 through my retirement in 2009 and involved developing seismograph hardware and software, both of which evolved over time. The software was created in cooperation with colleagues and students and it went through phases: the initial BASIC program; an improved version called SIMA; a further improvement called SIMA2; and the version being refined at the end of this interval called jAmaSeis. SIMA and the versions that followed all broadcast over the Internet in near-real-time. Executable versions of these codes were available free from sites on the Internet, but their availability and functionality depended upon continuous maintenance of both the web resources and the seismic equipment. When I retired in 2009 I left behind at the College in running order all my seismic equipment and all its supporting facilities. However, after my retirement I cannot ensure that the hardware and/or software components of these systems will be functional and/or even available. Links to external web resources may be broken, but I still reference them in these sections for historical purposes. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Click for example seismograms from my long-period and my short-period systems.  

Click for information about the location of Moravian College.

The seismometer project was featured in an article, entitled GROUNDED, by the late Judith Green, in the Winter 2004 issue of the Moravian College Magazine (pages 6 - 9).

 

 

Illustrated History of the Seismometer System

1986 -1991: Strip Chart to Apple IIe

1991 to 1998: 4 Seismometers in 2 Systems

1998 to 2001: Visual Pendulum in Classroom

2001 to 2003: Internet via SIMA code  

2004 to 2007: The IRIS affiliation

2007 to my retirement in 2009: The jAmaseis project

 

 

After my retirement in 2009:

When I retired in 2009, I left behind at the College all the seismometers and amplifiers and other hardware and software associated with the seismology projects. These systems are intended to run 24/7 and are monitored by computers that are also intended to run continuiously, but there are always equipment maintenance issues and computer connection problems that will arise and will degrade performance. Thus, over time, the seismic systems described on this web site may or may not be available over the Internet or even locally in the classroom.

It is very pleasing to me that Ben Coleman and his students have continued to coordinate with IRIS to further develop and enhance the jAmaseis software. My expectation is that this software will become the national standard for in-school seismology education, and may also achieve that status internationally. It gives me satisfaction to realize that my seismometer project at Moravian College, through cooperative efforts with both colleagues and students, had so significantly enhanced my local classroom environment, had provided unique educational opportunities among various departments within the College, and is associated with gainful contributions to Earth Science education.

 

Click to go to (or return to) the Moravian College home page.
Click to go to (or return to) Gerencher's home  page.