Ultrastable laser interferometry for earthquake detection with terrestrial and submarine cables

Detecting ocean-floor seismic activity is crucial for our understanding of the interior structure and dynamic behavior of Earth. However, 70% of the planet's surface is covered by water, and seismometer coverage is limited to a handful of permanent ocean bottom stations. We show that existing t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2018-08, Vol.361 (6401), p.486-490
Main Authors: Marra, Giuseppe, Clivati, Cecilia, Luckett, Richard, Tampellini, Anna, Kronjäger, Jochen, Wright, Louise, Mura, Alberto, Levi, Filippo, Robinson, Stephen, Xuereb, André, Baptie, Brian, Calonico, Davide
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cables
Change detection
Earth surface
Earthquakes
Fiber optics
Interferometry
Laser interferometry
Lasers
Ocean bottom
Ocean floor
Oceans
Optical communication
Optical fibers
Optics
Planetary interiors
Seismic activity
Seismic waves
Seismographs
Submarine cables
Telecommunications
Terrestrial environments
Underwater
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Summary:Detecting ocean-floor seismic activity is crucial for our understanding of the interior structure and dynamic behavior of Earth. However, 70% of the planet's surface is covered by water, and seismometer coverage is limited to a handful of permanent ocean bottom stations. We show that existing telecommunication optical fiber cables can detect seismic events when combined with state-of-the-art frequency metrology techniques by using the fiber itself as the sensing element. We detected earthquakes over terrestrial and submarine links with lengths ranging from 75 to 535 kilometers and a geographical distance from the earthquake's epicenter ranging from 25 to 18,500 kilometers. Implementing a global seismic network for real-time detection of underwater earthquakes requires applying the proposed technique to the existing extensive submarine optical fiber network.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aat4458