Australian Antarctic Division Macquarie Island, and the steep underwater mountain chain from which it rises, have become a Southern Ocean seismic observatory to better understand earthquakes and tsunamis caused by the collision of continental plates. Station plumber Neil Brown with an installed seismometer and solar panel on Macquarie Island. The solar panels were installed almost flush with the ground to protect them from the wind. Photo: Rob Dickson The array of 32 seismometers, deployed across the tectonically active area known as the Macquarie Ridge Complex (MRC), are part of a project led by the Australian National University (ANU)* – with help from Australian Antarctic Program expeditioners – to study the mechanisms causing submarine earthquakes in the region.