Researchers from the University of Glasgow have developed a device which measures tiny fluctuations in gravity, which is significantly smaller and more affordable than most other gravimeters. The gadget has possible applications in conducting subterranean surveys, in order to monitor volcanic activity and locate oil reserves. Prof Hazel Rymer, a vulcanologist at the Open University, said that the development was “an absolute game-change”, and that the gravimeters will be “a lot cheaper than the instruments that we’ve got at the moment – and certainly considerably more portable.”
