Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Kate Ravilious

Terrawatch: how balloons could one day detect quakes in hard-to-reach places

Workers inflate one of the balloons that carried instruments into the stratosphere. Once aloft, the balloons detected a distant earthquake in Indonesia.
Workers inflate one of the balloons that carried instruments into the stratosphere. Once aloft, the balloons detected a distant earthquake in Indonesia. Photograph: CNES/Sablon Igor, 2021

On 14 December 2021, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia; its epicentre was located just under the seabed near the island of Flores.

Within minutes, seismometers around the world were jolted by the earthquake waves as they rippled through and around the Earth.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.