The full title of this article by Syra Ortiz-Blanes (
Miami Herald) is “Scientists in Puerto Rico have tracked 15,000 quakes over the last year. Here’s how they did it.” Ortiz-Blanes writes about the herculean tasks of scientists tracking earthquakes in southwest Puerto Rico. See excerpts below. Read full article (listen to report or view video) at
When a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Puerto Rico one year ago, Elizabeth Vanacore pulled a pillow over her head and held onto her bed until the shaking stopped. Then, the seismologist got to work.
Within minutes, she was in her car navigating traffic as people fled tsunami evacuation zones. She arrived at 5 a.m. Analysts were already logging data from seismic and tide gauge stations. “It’s like an emergency code in the hospital,” she said.