computer to the pipe. ‘I’m measuring the radioactivity in the rocks down that pipe.’
‘Why?’
‘So I can predict earthquakes.’
‘Is that true?’ asked Tony, getting interested. ‘You can say when earthquakes are going to happen?’
Nick gave a sheepish smile. ‘I hope I can.’
‘How?’
The scientist looked at him for a while, as if wondering how he could explain it to a boy. ‘What do you know about atoms?’
‘Not a lot,’ replied Tony.
‘You know they have a nucleus in the middle with electrons around the outside, and are the building blocks of everything?’
‘I think I must have been away that day.’
‘Well they do, and some atoms throw bits out of that nucleus. This is called radioactivity. Uranium is one that can do that. This rock that we are sitting on is Charleston Gneiss. It is mostly quartz, but it also has some uranium. Are you still with me?’
‘No sweat.’
‘Good. Now, do you have a hundred-dollar note in your pocket?’
Tony slapped his leg. ‘No! Darn! I left them all back home.’
‘Well then, when you get back,’ said Nick, seriously, ‘have a look at the picture on it. That man was the one who sorted out a lot of this radioactivity stuff. He was born about three hours’ drive up that road over there.’
‘Ernest Rutherford?’
‘Ah! See! You do know something. For all we know he may have stood on these rocks as a child. Later, he identified the bits thrown out by uranium. He called them alpha, beta and gamma rays. When uranium throws out those bits it eventually becomes another substance called radon. That’s where my work starts. Because radon is a gasand can get squeezed out of the rocks.’
He touched the pipe by his feet. ‘In this tube is a Geiger counter.’
‘I know what that does,’ said Tony. ‘It counts geigers.’
‘Ha, ha. Very funny,’ said Nick, without smiling. ‘No, it counts when radon changes into lead. From the size of the count I know how much radon is in the tube.’ He pointed out to sea. ‘A few kilometres out there is the Foulwind Faultline. Over the years, pressure builds up in the rocks on either side of it. When that pressure gets released, an earthquake occurs. If I measure the radon, then I know how much pressure there is, and from that I can predict the earthquake.’ He leaned back on the rock smiling, obviously pleased with his explanation.
‘So when do you expect this earthquake?’
The smile disappeared. He glanced from side to side as if looking for spies. Then he looked long and hard at the boy. ‘Can you keep a secret?’
‘Sure.’
‘Promise?’
‘I promise.’
Nick still looked undecided. Yet he plainly wanted to share what he knew. He wanted somebody to know how clever he was. Eventually he said, ‘I think it will come in about ten days’ time.’
‘Wow! Will it be like the one last night?’
‘No! It will be stronger and we will feel it much more. That one last night was deep in the earth. The ones on the Foulwind Faultline are near the surface. There will be a lotof earth movement around here.’
Tony was beginning to feel scared. ‘Will there be damage?’
‘Yes.’
‘Will people get killed?’
‘I hope not. It did not happen in the 1913 or 1962 earthquakes.’
‘Why don’t you want to tell people?’
‘Because TV would make a big thing of it and people would get very scared.’
‘But they might do something to protect themselves.’
‘They should be doing those things anyway. They should know this is a high-risk area.’
‘I think you should tell them,’ said Tony, gravely.
Nick looked down at his feet. ‘I can’t. What if I am wrong? People would get frightened for nothing.’
‘And you would look a bit stupid,’ added Tony.
‘Yes,’ replied Nick quietly, ‘I would.’
Chapter 9
Tony spent the rest of the morning in Fred’s shed, developing his ideas about the fossil crabs. Fred was most helpful—he seemed to enjoy having young people around. Already
‘Why?’
‘So I can predict earthquakes.’
‘Is that true?’ asked Tony, getting interested. ‘You can say when earthquakes are going to happen?’
Nick gave a sheepish smile. ‘I hope I can.’
‘How?’
The scientist looked at him for a while, as if wondering how he could explain it to a boy. ‘What do you know about atoms?’
‘Not a lot,’ replied Tony.
‘You know they have a nucleus in the middle with electrons around the outside, and are the building blocks of everything?’
‘I think I must have been away that day.’
‘Well they do, and some atoms throw bits out of that nucleus. This is called radioactivity. Uranium is one that can do that. This rock that we are sitting on is Charleston Gneiss. It is mostly quartz, but it also has some uranium. Are you still with me?’
‘No sweat.’
‘Good. Now, do you have a hundred-dollar note in your pocket?’
Tony slapped his leg. ‘No! Darn! I left them all back home.’
‘Well then, when you get back,’ said Nick, seriously, ‘have a look at the picture on it. That man was the one who sorted out a lot of this radioactivity stuff. He was born about three hours’ drive up that road over there.’
‘Ernest Rutherford?’
‘Ah! See! You do know something. For all we know he may have stood on these rocks as a child. Later, he identified the bits thrown out by uranium. He called them alpha, beta and gamma rays. When uranium throws out those bits it eventually becomes another substance called radon. That’s where my work starts. Because radon is a gasand can get squeezed out of the rocks.’
He touched the pipe by his feet. ‘In this tube is a Geiger counter.’
‘I know what that does,’ said Tony. ‘It counts geigers.’
‘Ha, ha. Very funny,’ said Nick, without smiling. ‘No, it counts when radon changes into lead. From the size of the count I know how much radon is in the tube.’ He pointed out to sea. ‘A few kilometres out there is the Foulwind Faultline. Over the years, pressure builds up in the rocks on either side of it. When that pressure gets released, an earthquake occurs. If I measure the radon, then I know how much pressure there is, and from that I can predict the earthquake.’ He leaned back on the rock smiling, obviously pleased with his explanation.
‘So when do you expect this earthquake?’
The smile disappeared. He glanced from side to side as if looking for spies. Then he looked long and hard at the boy. ‘Can you keep a secret?’
‘Sure.’
‘Promise?’
‘I promise.’
Nick still looked undecided. Yet he plainly wanted to share what he knew. He wanted somebody to know how clever he was. Eventually he said, ‘I think it will come in about ten days’ time.’
‘Wow! Will it be like the one last night?’
‘No! It will be stronger and we will feel it much more. That one last night was deep in the earth. The ones on the Foulwind Faultline are near the surface. There will be a lotof earth movement around here.’
Tony was beginning to feel scared. ‘Will there be damage?’
‘Yes.’
‘Will people get killed?’
‘I hope not. It did not happen in the 1913 or 1962 earthquakes.’
‘Why don’t you want to tell people?’
‘Because TV would make a big thing of it and people would get very scared.’
‘But they might do something to protect themselves.’
‘They should be doing those things anyway. They should know this is a high-risk area.’
‘I think you should tell them,’ said Tony, gravely.
Nick looked down at his feet. ‘I can’t. What if I am wrong? People would get frightened for nothing.’
‘And you would look a bit stupid,’ added Tony.
‘Yes,’ replied Nick quietly, ‘I would.’
Chapter 9
Tony spent the rest of the morning in Fred’s shed, developing his ideas about the fossil crabs. Fred was most helpful—he seemed to enjoy having young people around. Already
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