Welcome to the Weston Observatory
Weston Observatory is a geophysical research and science education center of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Boston College. The Observatory, which has been recording earthquakes since the 1930s, conducts research on earthquakes and related geoscience. It is part of a worldwide distributed network for earthquake monitoring and research and for providing educational and public outreach resources about all aspects of the science of seismology, earthquake hazards, and related geoscience.
Today's advances in geophysical instrumentation, coupled with advances in internet communication and social media, make it possible to observe and study earthquakes and the Earth's interior in unprecedented ways. Weston Observatory shares in that endeavor as we celebrate the Observatory’s past and look to its future as BC’s earthquake observatory for the 21st Century.
News and Notes
News
Learn about our research at Weston Observatory
08-16-2021
- Monitoring and Studying Earthquakes in New England and Around the World
- Professor John Ebel's Book on the Surprising History of Seismic Activity in the Northeast US
- COVID-19 Lockdowns and the "Seismic Hush", All Over the World...
- Paleobotany: Evolution of Land Plants and Origins of Multicellular Organisms
Magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti (August 14, 2021)
08-15-2021
Once again, the people of Haiti experienced a tragic earthquake...
Click here and here for higher-resolution seismograms of this earthquake.
Consider donating to support the work of Geohazards International: Their mission is to end preventable death and suffering from natural disasters, in Haiti and around the world.
www.geohaz.org
The devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on August 14, 2021 was recorded by Raspberry Shake citizen science seismographs at Blue Hill Observatory, MathWorks, and Weston Observatory.
08-14-2021
We are working together to bring science to people and people to science for the common good.
Click here for higher-resolution graphic of these seismograms.
A fossil record of land plant origins from charophyte algae
08-14-2021
In a report entitled, A Fossil Record of Land Plant Origins from Charophyte Algae, published in the journal Science, Paul Strother and coauthor Clinton Foster (Australian National University) describe fossil spores of Lower Ordovician age, ~480 million years ago, which help to align the fossil plant record with molecular clock dating.
This discovery supports an evo-devo model of land plant origins that recognizes the importance of genomic assembly during the algal-plant transition to land. For more on this story see Clinton Foster's article in The Conversation, or the Science Perspective written by Patricia Gensel at UNC. Or, see this BC press release written by Ed Hayward.
Two Earthquakes in Peabody, MA: July 25 and August 4, 2021
08-08-2021
Professor John Ebel discussed the recent earthquakes in Peabody, MA with Boston 25 News and NBC Boston.
- July 25, Magnitude 1.4 (click here to see seismograms)
- August 4, Magnitude 1.2
Professor Ebel also discussed Eastern US earthquakes in a temblor.net article about earthquakes in Virginia.
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Bicellum brasieri - a new fossil hints at the origins of animal development
06-14-2021
The latest research from the Paleobotany Laboratory at Weston Observatory, A possible billion-year-old Holozoan with differentiated multicellularity, is now on-line in the journal Current Biology. Bicellum Brasieri possess two distinct cell types that are segregated into two distinct tissues, as such, it is the first example of complex multicellularity known from the fossil record. There are now more than a hundred on-line news posts world-wide about this fossil, if you are interested, just enter "Bicellum" in any search engine. Bicellum brasieri even has its own Wikipedia entry. Click here for the Official BC Press Release about the discovery. More information can be found on this local webpage or on the Weston Observatory Paleobotany Laboratory website.
Follow Weston Observatory on Twitter and Facebook
06-01-2021
For updated information on earthquake monitoring and related matters, follow us at:
Twitter.com/Weston_Quakes
Facebook.com/WestonObservatory
Magnitude 3.6 earthquake shakes southern New England
11-10-2020
A magnitude 3.6 quake that occurred near in Buzzards Bay rattled southern New England Sunday morning and was felt as far away as Long Island. Nine families in New Bedford, MA were displaced and a number of area buildings were damaged by the quake. Earthquakes happen on a regular basis in New England, according to Prof. Alan Kafka who discussed the quake in a recent media interview, but this is largest one to hit the region in decades. Prof. John Ebel, who further discussed yesterday's quake in separate media interviews (Boston Globe, WCVB), says aftershocks could be felt in the next few days, but any potential shocks are unlikely to be bigger than Sunday's earthquake.
Magnitude 3.6 earthquake in MA recorded at three planetary observatories and a middle school
11-09-2020
- Blue Hill, MA, Weather & Climate Observatory
- Weston, MA, Geophysical Observatory
- Amesbury, MA, Middle School
- Westport, CT, Astronomical Observatory