What is seismic reflection profiling?
Yes, it sounds intimidating, but, it actually is a simple concept. Scientists want to understand the composition of the ocean floors layers in order to assess the possibility of an earthquake on a given area. In order to do this, scientists recreate seismic waves and follow how they bounce against the different sub layers of the ocean’s bottom and come back. Since the waves are made of sound, we can use hydrophones to measure when they come back. You can read more about seismic reflection profiling here.