ChatGPT-4 is proving to be an invaluable asset for those looking to understand complex scientific information.
Eager to test its capabilities, I used it to interpret real-time data from yesterday’s 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan. This advanced AI companion deftly transformed raw seismic data from reputable sources into comprehensible insights, allowing me to grasp the complexities of earthquakes with remarkable ease. Whether it's elucidating the logarithmic scale of earthquake magnitudes or the mechanics of tectonic plate movements, ChatGPT-4 can foster a deeper, more intuitive understanding of the Earth's dynamic processes.
My learning expedition was not just informative but also interactive, leaving me thoroughly impressed with ChatGPT-4’s capacity to facilitate knowledge. It was a testament to how artificial intelligence can enrich our understanding of the natural world when used thoughtfully.
Where did I get the data and information?
The seismic data were obtained from authoritative sources such as U.S. Geological Survey (USGS Earthquake Hazards Program) and the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ Potsdam Earthquake Catalog).
Here’s the information from the official website of U.S. Geological Survey:
"We provide science about the natural hazards that threaten lives and livelihoods, the water, energy, minerals, and other natural resources we rely on, the health of our ecosystems and environment, and the impacts of climate and land-use change. Our scientists develop new methods and tools to enable timely, relevant, and useful information about the Earth and its processes."
Here’s the information from the official website of GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences:
The GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences is the national research centre for Earth sciences. Research at the GFZ focuses on the geosphere within the highly complex System Earth with its further subsystems, its interacting subcycles, and its wide network of cause-and-effect chains. This we do in a close interdisciplinary collaboration with the related scientific disciplines physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology as well as with the engineering sciences disciplines of rock mechanics, engineering hydrology and seismology.
Locating the earthquake on USGS: Here’s what I did step-by-step
Go the USGS website
Click on the link “Latest Earthquakes” as shown in the image below:
Play with the settings and filter down the information to suit your interest
I selected the 5.9 magnitude earthquake from the list as shown below:
You may have to do the following to search for specific regions or magnitude: SETTINGS > SEARCH EARTHQUAKE CATALOG > modify magnitude/date, time/geographic region, then click on “search”
Below is a zoomed-in map of the 5.9 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter that’s 55km (34 miles) away from Sado Island:
Earthquake data from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences
The image below displays data from the GFZ Earthquake Explorer, hosted by the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences.
ChatGPT-4 analysis
Firstly, I followed OpenAI's guidelines to create several GPTs, including GeoPublic, a research-focused agent specializing in physical sciences, for my earthquake study.
What is a GPT? In their own words, an OpenAI author writes:
GPTs are custom versions of ChatGPT that users can tailor for specific tasks or topics by combining instructions, knowledge, and capabilities.
Note: It is wise to carefully craft prompts when using ChatGPT for optimal results.
Let’s get back to ChatGPT analysis of seismic data report of the 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan on January 9, 2024.
The screenshot below displays my ChatGPT session, including the uploaded image with prompts and responses from GeoPublic, my custom ChatGPT-4 agent.
ChatGPT-4 session transcript (skip this part if you read the response in the image above)
My prompt: You are a geologist who is familiar with earthquake data. Can you interpret the data for high school students? Include the following info: magnitude, epicenter, depth, status, UTC, local time, energy release and logarithmic scale.
GeoPublic (ChatGPT-4): Certainly! Let's explain the earthquake data on the image for high school students, touching on all the requested aspects:
Magnitude (Mw 5.86): This is a measure of how much energy an earthquake releases, based on the size of the earthquake. The scale is logarithmic, meaning each whole number increase on the scale represents a tenfold increase in measured amplitude and roughly 31.6 times more energy release. So, a magnitude 5.86 earthquake is strong enough to cause damage if structures are not built to withstand such tremors.
Epicenter (37.92° N 137.73° E): This is the point on the Earth's surface located directly above where the earthquake originates. For this quake, it's near the west coast of Honshu, Japan.
Depth (32 km): This refers to how deep underground the earthquake started. The depth can influence the intensity and damage at the surface. At 32 km, it's considered a shallow earthquake, which typically causes more noticeable shaking than one that's deeper.
Status: This typically indicates the review status of the earthquake data, such as whether it's been manually reviewed by a seismologist. The image doesn't specify this, but if it did, it could say "reviewed" or "automatic."
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time): It is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. The earthquake happened at 08:59:14 UTC.
Local time (Epicenter): This is the local time where the earthquake occurred, which would be 17:59:14, considering Japan's time zone is GMT+9.
Energy Release: The magnitude of the earthquake gives an estimate of the energy released at the source of the earthquake. The energy release increases exponentially with increasing magnitude. However, the image does not provide a direct measurement of the energy released.
For an earthquake of this magnitude and depth, the released energy would be quite substantial, capable of causing moderate to significant effects in the nearby region. The use of a logarithmic scale means that this earthquake's energy release would be many times greater than that of a smaller earthquake, such as one with a magnitude of 4.86.
More on magnitude scale and energy release
The magnitude scale measures earthquake strength and is logarithmic, meaning a one-point increase represents ten times more shaking amplitude. For example, a magnitude 6 earthquake shakes 10 times more than a magnitude 5.
However, in terms of energy release, a magnitude 6 earthquake releases approximately 32 times more energy than a magnitude 5 and about 1,000 times more energy than a magnitude 4. The impact of a magnitude 6 earthquake can be severe, with the potential for extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure, especially in areas not prepared for such events.
"Energy release" refers to the amount of energy earthquake generates, which is released in the form of seismic waves that cause the ground to shake.
Remember, the reason we care about energy release is that it's directly related to an earthquake's destructive power. A little more energy can lead to a lot more damage. That's why scientists and engineers pay such close attention to earthquake magnitudes and why building earthquake-resistant structures is so important, especially in areas prone to seismic activity.
Conclusion
I captured a screenshot of the seismic data from the Japan earthquake and crafted a detailed prompt for ChatGPT-4. Upon submission, ChatGPT-4 efficiently interpreted the data; enabling someone like me - who lacks specialized domain knowledge - to learn more about geology.
Given the tendency of AI to sometimes yield inaccurate information, I diligently verified the accuracy of the generated results.
It turned out to be an engaging microlearning session, where generative AI served as a valuable assistive tool, culminating in a positive learning experience.
References
"Report on Earthquake Event ID 1409965." Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://www.gdacs.org/report.aspx?eventtype=EQ&eventid=1409965.
"Earthquake Map." U.S. Geological Survey. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?currentFeatureId=us6000m2ny&extent=33.19273,130.70435&extent=39.3343,146.52466&range=search&sort=largest&baseLayer=terrain&timeZone=utc&list=false&search=%7B%22name%22:%22Search%20Results%22,%22params%22:%7B%22starttime%22:%222024-01-02%2000:00:00%22,%22endtime%22:%222024-01-09%2023:59:59%22,%22minmagnitude%22:5.5,%22orderby%22:%22magnitude%22%7D%7D.
PBS NewsHour. "Japan’s Earthquake and Tsunami: How They Happened." March 11, 2011. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/japans-earthquake-and-tsunami-how-they-happened.
"GFZ Earthquake Explorer." Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://geofon.gfz-potsdam.de/eqexplorer/events/gfz2024aphv/general.
"Creating a GPT." OpenAI Help Center. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8554397-creating-a-gpt.
OpenAI. 2024. "Conversation with ChatGPT on earthquake data from the GFZ Earthquake Explorer." Personal communication by Muhammad Arif, January 9, 2024.
"Earthquake Magnitude, Energy Release, and Shaking Intensity." U.S. Geological Survey. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/earthquake-magnitude-energy-release-and-shaking-intensity.
This article is an eye-opener. Thank you for the valuable insights. I am eager to try them to interpret datas based on Bangladesh and
see the outcomes.