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Earth grew quiet during the global pandemic lockdown.
Researchers discovered that human-linked vibrations dropped by an average of 50 percent between March and May 2020. This is because of social distancing, drops in tourism and travel, and closure of services and industries.
Researchers studied data from 268 seismometers in 117 countries. These instruments measure noise caused by Earth's vibrations, which can be triggered by earthquakes and volcanoes, but also human activity.
The study highlights how much human activities impact Earth, and lets us differentiate human and natural noise.
Amidst the relative quietness, researchers listened to previously concealed earthquake signals, for example, which could potentially warn people of upcoming natural disasters.
Increasing urbanization and growing populations means more people will live in geologically hazardous areas.
It is more important than ever before to be able to differentiate between natural and human-caused noise.