The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond. Are earthquakes destabilizing tectonic plates across the globe? Strong East Coast quake highly unusual: scientist. Seismology. Seismology /saɪzˈmɒlədʒi/ is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other planet-like bodies.
The field also includes studies of earthquake effects, such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, oceanic, atmospheric, and artificial processes (such as explosions). A related field that uses geology to infer information regarding past earthquakes is paleoseismology. A recording of earth motion as a function of time is called a seismogram. A seismologist is a scientist who does research in seismology.