Seaside Museum is proud to be a station host for a K2 strong motion seismometer. This seismometer is part of the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network (PNSN) that monitors earthquakes and geologic hazards of the Pacific Northwest.

Did you feel an earthquake? Hear a sonic boom? Every two minutes shake map data is sent from the Seaside Museum to the University of Washington where the PNSN immediately posts the information to the internet.

What's Shakin' right now?

Even when there is not an earthquake, the shake maps are fun to look at. The museum is close to Necanicum Drive and built on sand fill. The seismometer is very sensitive, so it records movement from trucks driving down the street or museum personnel moving furniture! We may also get some shaking from the ocean, depending on the day.

Below is a map of movement on an uneventful day in March 2005. There was little traffic or movement until after 8:00am. Throughout the morning we see small traffic vibrations. In the afternoon, museum personnel began rearranging furniture in the area around the seismometer - those big squiggles are just us, not earthquakes!

Here is a shake map of a real earthquake, recorded at Spokane, Washington, on November 11, 2001:

Please visit the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network (PNSN) learn more.

The Seaside Museum "urban strong motion" webicorder is featured at http://www.pnsn.org/SMO/STA/STATIONS/SEAS.html.

Recent Oregon and Southwest Washington seismographs (including Seaside) are linked at http://www.pnsn.org/WEBICORDER/SMO_S/welcome.html.

What's Shakin' right now at the Seaside Museum?