As billions of people around the world are being told to isolate themselves and decrease how much they move geographically, our planet is growing quieter.
Scientists say the Earth is shaking less, too.
Findings published in the journal Nature show the amount of seismic noise has dropped since the implementation of lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing practices. Seismologists are also noticing much less ambient seismic noise -- vibrations from cars, buses, trains and people.
According to Thomas Lecocq, a seismologist at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, this dramatic decrease in noise is usually only seen briefly around Christmas day.
"Ground movements...mainly due to human activity...are much lower since the implementation of the containment measures by the government," the Royal Observatory of Belgium tweeted.
In Belgium, Lecocq said he observed that the vibrations caused by human activity have decreased by about one-third since isolation measures were issued. Schools, restaurants and other public spaces in the country were closed March 14, and non-essential travel was banned March 18.
Because of this reduction in noise, seismologists like Lecocq can better measure smaller earthquakes, storms, crashing ocean waves and quarry blasts.
When Lecocq shared his findings online, other seismologists around the world echoed him, saying they were seeing similar reports of decreased noise, CBS News reported.
Celeste Labedz, a Ph.D. student in geophysics at Caltech said even Los Angeles was showing a reduction in noise.
"The drop is seriously wild," she tweeted.
The reduction in vibrations and noise is a stark reminder that we are suffering from a pandemic that has so far killed tens of thousands and sickened more than one million people. The coronavirus pandemic has brought normal, daily life for billions of people to a screeching halt.
However, noise reduction also shows that people are heeding warnings and guidelines about social distancing and isolation.
"From the seismologist point of view, we can motivate people to say, 'OK look, people. You feel like you're alone at home, but we can tell you that everyone is home," Lecocq told CNN.
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