Billions of people are under coronavirus lockdowns – and now the upper crust of the Earth is shaking less

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-lockdowns-earth-shaking-less-seismic-noise/

By Sophie Lewis
April 3, 2020 / 3:13 PM


About four billion people — roughly half the world's population — have reportedly been told to isolate themselves in their homes to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. And the major decrease in the hum of normal human activity has led to a surprising shift in Earth's vibrations.

Researchers who study the Earth's movement said the mandatory shutdown of transportation systems, businesses and other human activities has correlated with the planet shaking noticeably less than usual. A drop in seismic noise — the vibrations in the planet's crust — is giving scientists the rare chance to monitor small earthquakes, volcanic activity and other subtle tremors that are usually drowned out by the everyday movement of humans.

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According to Lecocq, such a dramatic decrease in noise can typically only be experienced briefly around Christmas.

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While individual human activity such as vehicle traffic or construction sites only cause small movements in the Earth's crust, together they produce a sizable amount of "background noise" that hinder scientists' ability to detect natural events at the same frequency.

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