EPJH Seismology Students Travel North to Learn about Earthquakes

A group of eleven Eagle Pass Junior High Seismology Team students along with their sponsor, science teacher Michael Brunt, traveled to The University of Texas at Austin Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) and to a remote seismometer station near San Marcos and spent the day learning about earthquakes.
During the students’ time at UTIG, university research scientist Dr. Cliff Frohlich presented a PowerPoint discourse on the history of Texas earthquakes and discussed research projects currently being undertaken by UTIG and the university’s Jackson School of Geosciences. Students also participated in inquiry-based, hands-on enrichment activities dealing with seismology concepts. One of these activities, directed by research scientist Dr. Hilary Olson and Elizabeth Polito, involved the students simulating P and S seismic waves arriving at seismometer stations, calculating and graphing collected data, and then determining the location of the earthquake using triangulation method.
After completing the first half of the day at UTIG, the seismology team traveled to San Marcos where they visited a remote seismometer station on ranch land owned by an employee of Texas State University. While there, students were taught about the station’s components and their functions and assisted Baylor University seismologist Dr. Jay Pulliam with extracting and recording scientific seismic data. The students also participated in the scheduled inspection and maintenance on the station’s equipment. This seismometer station was installed in July and will remain in place recording data as part of a two-year seismic study to learn about the deep structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath Texas.
Mr. Brunt and the EPJH seismology team students would like to thank the following individuals and businesses for their support: Benavides-Rhodes Insurance; Border Federal Credit Union; Eagle Pass Insurance Agency; Falcon International Bank; Gomez Insurance Agency; Hector & Lois Black; Jose De Luna (Farmer’s Ins.); Knickerbocker, Heredia, Jasso & Stewart, ...