Tiltmeter
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A tiltmeter is a sensitive
Tiltmeters have a long history, somewhat parallel to the history of the seismometer. The very first tiltmeter was a long-length stationary pendulum. These were used in the very first large concrete dams, and are still in use today, augmented with newer technology such as laser reflectors. Although they had been used for other applications such as volcano monitoring, they have distinct disadvantages, such as their huge length and sensitivity to air currents. Even in dams, they are slowly being replaced by the modern electronic tiltmeter.
Volcano and Earth movement monitoring then used the water-tube, long baseline tiltmeter.[2] In 1919, the renowned physicist, Albert A. Michelson, noted that the most favorable arrangement to obtain high sensitivity and immunity from temperature perturbations is to use the equipotential surface defined by water in a buried half-filled water pipe.[3] This was a simple arrangement of two water pots, connected by a long water-filled tube. Any change in tilt would be registered by a difference in fill-mark of one pot compared to the other. Although extensively used throughout the world for Earth-science research, they have proven to be quite difficult to operate. For example, due to their high sensitivity to temperature differentials, these always have to be read in the middle of the night.
The modern electronic tiltmeter, which is slowly replacing all other forms of tiltmeter, uses a simple
A newer technology using
The most dramatic application of tiltmeters is in the area of volcanic eruption prediction.
Gallery
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Principle of a modern electronic tiltmeter
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Graph showing inflation cycle of Kīlauea volcano
See also
- Dam safety system
- Differential GPS
- Geomechanic
- Inclinometer
- Remote sensing methods
- Rock mechanics
- Tilt test (geotechnical engineering)
References
- ISBN 0-471-00546-0, pp. 216–219
- ^ "How We Monitor Volcanoes". Volcanoes.usgs.gov. 2008-08-13. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ "What is a Tiltmeter?". www.wisegeek.com. 2014-05-30. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ^ "Tiltmeter Basics". www.geomechanics.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2006.
- ^ "Movement on the Surface Provides Information About the Subsurface | U.S. Geological Survey".
- ^ "How We Monitor Volcanoes". Volcanoes.usgs.gov. 2008-08-13. Retrieved 2014-02-05.