Oldest seismic station calls Fordham University home

The oldest seismic station in the New York City area is housed in the Bronx but records earthquakes from all over the world.The station was installed in 1910 at Fordham University. Machines, called seismometers, sit in a cellar about 25 feet below ground. The seismometers are designed to detect seismic waves and earthquakes from anywhere in the world. The machines' records are then transmitted to a computer in Fordham?s Freeman Hall where they can be read.University officials say their latest seismometer cost about $18,000.