Kate Hutton says that life as a seismologist is anything but ordinary.
"My typical day varies a lot. My basic job is to supervise data processing
for the Southern California Seismic Network. If seismic activity is quiet,
it's mostly run-of-the-mill supervising, testing software, writing reports
and trying to calibrate this or that," she says.
"If activity is high, I pitch in with the data processing," she says. "If
there has recently been a quake of public interest, I also spend a lot of
time answering questions from the media and the public. And about one week
out of eight, I am the on-call duty seismologist that deals with any problems,
earthquakes, press questions, etc., 24 hours a day."
For Hutton, that varying routine is something that is appealing about the
job. "The best part is the element of unpredictability, depending on the earthquakes
that occur. It means a fairly wide variety of tasks, and relief of any tedium
that might be involved in processing a large aftershock sequence. I don't
like all of the paperwork, though."
The job does have its interesting moments. "A few hours after the Landers
quake, magnitude 7.3, in 1992, I was doing a live TV press conference. Just
at that time, there was a large aftershock, 6.3," she says.
"At that time, our system was not as automated as it is now, and I knew
it was going to take 10 minutes or so before anyone could give me the correct
magnitude and epicenter information to tell the TV people.
"So I had to ad lib it for 10 minutes! General information about quakes,
danger from aftershocks, etc. Meanwhile, I had discovered that I could feel
the motion better with my hand against the wall, which happened to be one
of the reinforced concrete sheer walls. To the TV viewers, it looked like
the reporters were backing me up against the wall with their eager microphones!"
Ron Clowes is a seismologist. He is also a professor of earth and ocean
sciences at a university. He says seismology chose him. "I was...in the 11th
grade when a summer job with an oil company came open," he says.
"I took that job, and because of it I decided to pursue a physics degree
in college. Then after receiving my undergraduate degree, I got my master's
in geophysics. It's been a lot of fun."
Clowes has had the opportunity to take part in a number of different projects.
"Because sound waves from the vibration of an earthquake penetrate from one
side of the Earth to the next, we use recordings of vibrations throughout
the world to derive information about where an earthquake originates," he
says.
"When I was teaching, I loved interacting with students both at the undergraduate
and graduate level. And I've had the opportunity to travel to a lot of
places and meet people. It's been enjoyable," he says.
Unfortunately, even in jobs that you love, there are sometimes duties that
you don't care for. "I don't enjoy marking exams, but I have been
very fortunate in that this is a very self-satisfying career. Yes, teaching
can sometimes be onerous, and the political side can be wearying, but otherwise
I truly enjoy what I do."
For someone who loves science and wants to know how the Earth works, Clowes
says that seismology is the career to consider.
"Active source seismology is about looking at different problems, and then
using controlled sound sources and refraction to try to understand the crust
of the Earth and the movement it makes. But there are other opportunities
in the petroleum industry and in earthquake seismology as well. It all depends
on what a person enjoys the most."