#ThrowbackThursday: A Seismic Blast from the Past

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“There was once a day that the geological hammer, a pair of stout legs and a keen eye were all that a geologist really needed for his research,” professor Sheldon Judson ’40 wrote in the Feb. 26, 1960, issue of PAW. But by the 1960s, the mantra of “have hammer, will travel” had given way to a new set of instruments, including the seismic truck, right, used to measure the effects of experimental explosions, left. Judson’s story traced the history of the geosciences at Princeton, beginning with the arrival of Professor Arnold Guyot in 1854, and did not give much attention to the accompanying photos from departmental field work. If any readers recall the seismic truck or can provide details about its research, please use the comment box below.