Technology is very dynamic, and its inventions are seldom cast in stone. What is reliable and perfect today easily becomes obsolete the next day. Geophysical instruments , just like devices in other parts of the industry, are constantly evolving. The past century has been a very busy one for this industry. If you look at the seismometer, for example, you will realize that the current instrument is very different from its original cousin back then. The instrument that was in use then, which incorporated a damped horizontal pendulum and there successor, the Press-Ewing seismometer, are almost relics now. Currently, most of the devices in use are electronically based. The accuracy and efficiency of mechanical devices is low. The sensors, amplifiers and even recorders are all electronic devices. Their efficiency and accuracy is very high. Things like Shallow seismic methods and gamma-ray geophysics are only possible with electronic instruments. A revolutionary method in geophysics is the incorporation of computers with most instruments. For example, there are seismometers that have software that ensures continuous recording of seismic activities is possible. The software then converts this data into readable formats. One of the factors that accelerated the growth of this industry and the improvements of the products in particular, is the need for energy. After world war two, industrial revolution and reconstruction of destroyed industries was in top gear. There was a great demand for energy, or oil in particular, and these devices were developed to help with energy exploration. Currently, there are very powerful geophysical instruments that can be used to study the crust of the earth even from a plane. Ground penetrating radar and devices that are even used at night are only possible because of the powerful software integrated in them. Thus, today, you must have high-tech devices coupled with the most advanced software if you want to advance in geophysics.
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