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When the Rolling Stones played Seattle's Kingdome back in 1981, there were those who worried that the loud sounds emanating from Mick Jagger would bring the 25,000 ton concrete roof crashing down. Those folks didn't get no satisfaction--until now, that is. What over two hours of Mick and the boys couldn't accomplish was done in 16.8 seconds when more than 4,450 pounds of dynamite imploded the familiar landmark leaving little more than a dust cloud and a pile of twisted metal and concrete. In spite of its close proximity to one of Seattle's most historic districts, the Kingdome's demise did little damage to surrounding buildings.

Capitalizing on the Dome's collapse, scientists from the University of Washington and the USGS used the opportunity to create a 3-D seismic map of the Seattle area which encompasses one of the country's most dangerous earthquake zones.

Scientists installed some 200 carefully placed seismographs to measure the 2.3-magnitude artificial temblor in order to determine more information about how shock waves travel in the area. They corroborated their data by setting off additional small explosions around the city during a separate test.

Scientists were surprised to discover that the shock waves traveled much further than expected. In other words, the Seattle area is more prone to radical shaking during an earthquake than was previously believed. Several areas were added to a list scientists had already developed of high-risk zones.

"Our goal is to make detailed maps of Seattle that can describe, block by block, the amount of ground motion shaking expected during an earthquake. By recording these timed seismic waves, we can get there," USGS scientist Art Frankel told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Image courtesy Michael McFaul.


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			The Kingboom! When the Rolling Stones played Seattle's Kingdome back in 1981, there were those who worried that the loud sounds emanating from Mick Jagger would bring the 25,000 ton concrete roof crashing down. Those folks didn't get no satisfaction--until now, that is. What over two hours of Mick and the boys couldn't accomplish was done in 16.8 seconds when more than 4,450 pounds of dynamite imploded the familiar landmark leaving little more than a dust cloud and a pile of twisted metal and concrete. In spite of its close proximity to one of Seattle's most historic districts, the Kingdome's demise did little damage to surrounding buildings. Capitalizing on the Dome's collapse, scientists from the University of Washington and the USGS used the opportunity to create a 3-D seismic map of the Seattle area which encompasses one of the country's most dangerous earthquake zones. Scientists installed some 200 carefully placed seismographs to measure the 2.3-magnitude artificial temblor in order to determine more information about how shock waves travel in the area. They corroborated their data by setting off additional small explosions around the city during a separate test. Scientists were surprised to discover that the shock waves traveled much further than expected. In other words, the Seattle area is more prone to radical shaking during an earthquake than was previously believed. Several areas were added to a list scientists had already developed of high-risk zones. "Our goal is to make detailed maps of Seattle that can describe, block by block, the amount of ground motion shaking expected during an earthquake. By recording these timed seismic waves, we can get there," USGS scientist Art Frankel told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Image courtesy Michael McFaul.