The core of this project is the development of a methodology (software and hardware) to produce synchronized visual and sonic representations of seismic wave fields in the Earth. Coupling these senses enables people, from the general public to seasoned seismologists, to appreciate and perceive an enormous richness in the patterns of seismic wave fields. The aim is not to simulate the experience of an earthquake, but to render the physics of wave propagation in the globe and the nature of earthquake physics into a completely tactile experience, unlike anything anyone has ever perceived. The working group is comprised of earth scientists, astrophysicists, sound and graphics engineers and educators, from the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), Princeton University, and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).
The images and sounds are generated from both USArray and GSN data, as well as from simulations generated with the spectral element method (SEM), using the SPECFEM3D software. Sounds are generated by shifting the frequency of the seismic signal into the range of human hearing, and are filtered and stretched in time to optimize the coupled visual and sonic effects. Once the methodology is in place, it will take two general forms:
First, a web-based format that allows people to choose earthquakes and seismic data to listen to, with images produced by either a dense array of seismometers (i.e. the ground motion visualizations (GMVs) produced by IRIS of the Transportable Array data) or a simulation of the seismic wave field (i.e. by SPECFEM3D). This format will be useful for classroom and laboratory purposes, and interactive museum exhibits, as well as for exploratory observation of raw data by seismologists.
Second, a version will be developed for the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City. The images, projected on the planetarium dome, will include the surface of the Earth rendered as a membrane and also a volumetric rendering in which the observer will see 3D wave fronts propagating throughout the globe. The sounds will be tuned to the large speaker array in the Planetarium. Within the context of this project, several Public Programs will occur in the Planetarium, in which the immersive experience of listening to the Earth will be guided by the production team. These Public Programs are the essential first step towards developing a full planetarium show on the dynamics of the Earth at AMNH.
