microseism

American  

[mahy-kruh-sahy-zuhm, -suhm] / ˈmaɪ krəˌsaɪ zəm, -səm /

noun

Geology.

1. a feeble, recurrent vibration of the ground recorded by seismographs and believed to be due to an earthquake or a storm at sea.

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microseism British  

/ ˌmaɪkrəʊˈsaɪzmɪk, ˈmaɪkrəʊˌsaɪzəm /

noun

1. a very slight tremor of the earth's surface, thought not to be caused by an earthquake

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microseism Scientific  

/ mī′krə-sī′zəm /

1. A faint Earth tremor, unrelated to earthquakes, caused by natural phenomena, such as winds and strong ocean waves.

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Other Word Forms

• microseismic adjective
• microseismical adjective

Etymology

Origin of microseism

First recorded in 1885–90; micro- + seism

Example Sentences

The seismometer was working well, they found: It was picking up background vibrations, called microseisms, in the martian surface that were induced by wind.

From Science Magazine

Conversely, on Earth, microseisms are caused by the ocean, storms and tides.

From Salon

Although the microseisms are a thrill to hear, everyone working on InSight is waiting for the main event: their first marsquake.

From Science Magazine

This is the first time, he said, that such microseisms have been detected on another planet.

From Science Magazine

In the case of microseisms, both signals are faint but P waves have been more straightforward to study.

From BBC

Related Words

• shock
• temblor
• upheaval