Passive DIY Seismograph Earth-Vibration Tremor Recorder

60 mins Ages 10-14 Indoor

A challenging, hands-on discovery and STEM project designed for curious young minds aged 10 to 14.

Materials Needed

  • • Sturdy cardboard shoebox (1 unit)
  • • Small plastic drink bottle (filled with dry sand or pennies) (1 unit)
  • • Fine-point felt-tip marker (1 unit)
  • • Paper adding-machine receipt roll (or 5 cm paper strips) (1 roll)
  • • Cotton string and tape (1 set)

Pro Tips

  • → The core seismograph principle relies on inertia: when the ground shakes, the frame moves with the earth while the suspended heavy mass tends to stay still.
  • → Suspend a sand-weighted bottle with a marker attached to its base inside a cardboard frame, just barely touching a strip of paper.
  • → Pull the paper strip under the pen at a steady pace while stomping on the floor to record seismic wave traces.

Safety First

Ensure the weighted bottle is securely tied so it swings freely without slipping.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

1

Step 1

Cut two horizontal feed slits across the bottom sides of a cardboard shoebox to allow a paper strip to slide through.

2

Step 2

Fill a small plastic bottle with sand for ballast, tape a felt pen vertically to its side, and suspend it from the top lid with string.

3

Step 3

Adjust the suspension cord so the felt pen tip rests lightly on the paper strip inside the box.

4

Step 4

Pull the paper strip through at a steady speed while a partner jumps nearby, recording tremor waveforms on the paper.

What they are learning

Inertial mass frame mechanics in seismology Earthquake P-wave and S-wave analog tracing Harmonic damping resonance