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Cerilliant Balances Detect Earthquakes 1000 Miles Away - Accurate Balances Critical to Accurate Results
On Monday, August 3, 2009, something unusual occurred in the labs at Cerilliant Corporation in Round Rock, Texas. Cerilliant technicians Kevin Gates and Mike Plangklang reported that their critical balances would not stabilize. Kevin observed one balance reading jumping quickly back and forth by about ±1mg, then slowing down and rapidly jumping up again. There were no signs of any local disturbances such as drafts, vibrations, or electromagnetic interferences that could result in this odd behavior. While the balances stabilized within 30 minutes, the reason was still unclear. However upon further research, the cause turned out to be a series of earthquakes that occurred in the Gulf of California over a thousand miles away from the Cerilliant facility.
The balances, made by Mettler Toledo, were so accurate and precise that they were able to measure the waves from an earthquake happening miles away.
As an ISO Guide 34 and ISO/IEC 17025 accredited company, Cerilliant has established rigorous process controls covering every aspect of production. Analytical results can only be as good as the calibrators used. One critical element of preparing any reference standard is the weighing operation which includes balance selection and qualification as well as establishment of minimum weighings and proper technique. Each of these elements, if not properly controlled, can lead to significant error and uncertainty of the reference. Cerilliant currently employs several Mettler Toledo balances including XP205, XP504, XP1203S, XP64001L, XP56 and UMX2. For more information about Mettler Toledo, please visit http://us.mt.com/us/en/home.html
Click here to view USGS map
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