News Earth Seismic shivers tell of tornado touchdown By Linda Wang February 5, 2001 at 5:20 pm - More than 2 years ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to print (Opens in new window) Print For years, people unfortunate enough to have been standing close to where a tornado touched down have reported feeling rumbles beneath them. When tornadoes touch down, they send vibrations into the ground. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Now, researchers say they can use earthquake-detecting seismometers to detect and possibly track all but the weakest tornadoes.