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Science In Action: Unique features of 2012 Sumatran earthquake

27/09/2012

Unique features of 2012 Sumatran earthquake

BBC World Service - Science In Action, Unique features of 2012 Sumatran earthquake

Unique features of 2012 Sumatran earthquake – new plate boundary being created.

Unique features of 2012 Sumatran earthquake; 50th Anniversary of book - Silent Spring – bird song archive and current pesticide use and effects.

Unique features of 2012 Sumatran earthquake
Scientists analysing the data from the earthquake which struck off the coast of Sumatra in April 2012 have discovered several unique factors. The earthquake was actually 4 earthquakes occurring in quick succession. They occurred, not at the edge of the tectonic Indo-Australian plate, but nearer the middle, possibly causing two new plates to be formed and the 8.6-8.7 earthquake triggered a number of smaller quakes all over the globe.

50th Anniversary of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring
The book ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson was published in 1962. Said to be a key factor in launching the environmental movement. Carson wrote about the effects of chemical pesticides and especially DDT and the consequences it had, not just for insects and plants, but also the wider wildlife and human health. She speculated that the harm of unregulated pesticide use, could lead to a spring devoid of birdsong and the buzz of insects. The book triggered a ban on DDT for agricultural uses.

In a related report, Jen Whyntie finds out about recordings of our planet’s changing avian soundscapes which are kept in international archives that are becoming available online. These ‘sound libraries’ include thousands of the bird songs that Carson warned could be lost forever. And now, people are starting to discover a greater variety of uses for these recordings - from helping bird enthusiasts to restoring mental health. 

Also how changes in pesticide use and scientific understanding of them has changed over the past 50 years.

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