Data from the BGS seismology team, led by Dr Brian Baptie, has helped to illustrate a dramatic reduction in seismic activity and earth vibrations – or ‘noise’ – during lockdown.
The data was transformed into an illustration as part of ‘Nature in Lockdown’ a Natural History Museum public engagement initiative which is seeking to crowdsource research ideas and discover the environmental impacts of COVID-19 which people are most interested in.

How the UK went quiet, copyright Natural History Museum.
As part of the initiative, The Natural History Museum collaborated with data visualisation company Beyond Words, who approached BGS to help illustrate some of the environmental changes wrought by lockdown.
The seismic data was brought to their attention when BGS seismologists observed a drop in seismic activity throughout March 2020 in some locations across the UK.
Some areas of the UK were noisier during lockdown, but most of the country vibrated less; a pattern also noted by scientists in locations across Europe when entire countries were brought to a standstill.
Dr Baptie said:
“We compared the average daytime noise levels at seismic stations in the UK in the two week period since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown with the average noise levels for the beginning of the year. The results show reductions in noise levels at most of our stations of between 10-50 per cent.
“We see that some of the biggest noise reductions are at sites closest to sources of human-generated noise. Much of our understanding about the Earth comes from observations of earthquakes. So in theory, this could lead to new insights about our planet.”
The Nature in Lockdown initiative draws on a variety of open source data and scientific databases, and also documents the dramatic drop in driving and public transport use, and the changes to sightings of both animals and birds.
The project, which has received funding from the Natural Environment Research Council, culminated in a live interactive virtual ‘Lates’ event on Friday 25 September during which audiences posed questions to young and emerging researchers about those topics.
The Natural History Museum’s Executive Director of Engagement Clare Matterson says:
“These fascinating visualisations, the result of a collaboration between scientists, our digital teams and Beyond Words, bring to life some of the astonishing impacts lockdown has had on our environments and how we noticed and experienced nature in a new and different way.”
You can view the illustrations on The Natural History Museum website.
To find out more about how the BGS collects data to improve our understanding of earthquake hazards, visit: http://www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk
About the author

Hannah Pole
Communications and media manager
Relative topics
Related news

Join the BGS Board
06/09/2023
BGS is looking to appoint one to two non-executive directors to join our board.

Evolving policies in the face of climate change: BGS data can help
25/08/2023
Climate change is increasingly recognised as a major challenge for organisations, with the need for adaptation driving a wave of policy updates and reforms across multiple sectors. BGS data holdings are relevant to many of these changes and the following examples outline how these data packages can be applied.

New report assesses deep geothermal energy in the UK
17/07/2023
A new BGS report assesses the current situation around and future potential of deep geothermal energy in the UK.

Mineral investigation reports released online
07/07/2023
Reports from over 260 mineral exploration projects are now freely available on BGS’s GeoIndex.

Updated biosphere map for the UK released
07/07/2023
The updated biosphere map for the UK will allow users to identify sulphur isotope variations.

Scoping report on the material requirements for a UK hydrogen economy
21/06/2023
The UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre has produced a scoping report that examines the aims of the UK with regards to developing a hydrogen economy, the sustainability of these targets, given current metal loadings, and provides some suggestions for overcoming potential challenges that the UK may face in securing raw materials to support this ambition.

Scoping study on metals used in specialist alloys in the aerospace industry
21/06/2023
A recent scoping study by the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre assesses the application, importance and supply-chain risks associated with specialist alloys used in the aerospace and defence industries.

BGS unveils #TheCommoditree at Glastonbury 2023
21/06/2023
The new installation is part of a unique touring festival stand showcasing how modern lifestyles wouldn’t be possible without rocks and minerals.

A new open dataset to benefit onshore geoscience research
15/06/2023
Data from deep onshore hydrocarbon wells is being released on an open access basis to help meet the UK’s net zero targets.

Geological Society honours BGS scientists
14/06/2023
The Geological Society has recognised the contributions of two members of BGS: director Dr Karen Hanghøj and volcanologist Dr Samantha Engwell.

NERC recognised by the Carbon Trust for its step towards net zero
07/06/2023
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has achieved the ‘taking action’ tier of the Carbon Trust’s Route to Net Zero Standard.

New report on the National Land Data Programme published
06/06/2023
The report, based on pilot projects across the UK, explains how spatial data and modelling can support better decisions on land use.