From Hooke to Helioseismology – the UK’s contribution to seismology – past, present and future

The full programme, abstracts, speaker biographies and further meeting information can be accessed via News and Events – History of Seismology Meeting in the adjoining Navigation pane. A printable version of the Programme can be found here.

The UK has a rich history in the science of Seismology, and it is just over 100 years since the death of John Milne, the man who introduced the word ‘seismometer’ to the science. At a time when major facets of the subject are being, perhaps have been superseded - for example onshore controlled source crustal seismology by passive seismic methods - and so are becoming ‘historical’, this meeting has been designed to explore the UK’s contribution to Seismology. While science does not recognize national boundaries, the seismological work that has been undertaken in the UK since at least the time of Robert Hooke and the founding of the Royal Society is peculiarly amenable to presentation at an Institute of Physics History of Physics Group sponsored meeting.

The meeting has been divided into four sessions; Earthquakes, Instruments and Institutions, Controlled Source Seismology and Crustal Studies, and Passive Seismology. To ensure the content is not just a reflection of science past, the sessions include topics that highlight outstanding current work, and speakers have been asked to consider future trends in their particular field.

Twenty-two speakers will cover such varied topics as Early British Thinking on Earthquakes, Prediction, Quiet Earthquakes, Test-ban Verification, Schools’ Seismology, Seismic Investigations of the Ocean Floor, Seismology and the Oil and Gas Industry, Tomography and the Outer Earth, Anisotropy, Interferometry and Seismic Noise, Helioseismology, and more.