My next novel, Murder on Masaya is set on the slopes of Volcan Masaya, Nicaragua and continues the adventures of Kea Wright. I’ve included on this blog some photos of tools and techniques the scientists were using in the field that might not make it into the book.
Fieldwork nibbles
One of the many research projects conducted on the slopes of the volcano involved the collection of gravity measurements. These required a great deal of patience due to the sensitivity of the instruments. Below you can see two researchers patiently taking gravity readings on the side of the road on the slopes of Masaya.
The gravity meter in our field work was similar to the one you seen below (image from University of Newbrunswick). Their unit is a 1964 machine that’s been refurbished.
As old as it is, believe it or not, it still is worth as much as two new cars…
For us newbies, the device can take either five minutes to take a reading to forty. Or, if you’re almost done after forty minutes and someone accidentally knocks the base plate with their foot, it can take one hour fifteen…
