Ultrastable laser interferometry for earthquake detection with terrestrial and submarine cables
Marra, G.; Clivati, C.; Luckett, R.; Tampellini, A.; Kronjäger, J.; Wright, L.; Mura, A.; Levi, F.; Robinson, S.; Xuereb, A.; Baptie, B.; Calonico, D. (2018). Ultrastable laser interferometry for earthquake detection with terrestrial and submarine cables. Science (Wash.) 361(6401): 486-490. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aat4458
In: Science (Washington). American Association for the Advancement of Science: New York, N.Y. ISSN 0036-8075; e-ISSN 1095-9203, more
|  |
| Authors | | Top |
- Marra, G.
- Clivati, C.
- Luckett, R.
- Tampellini, A.
|
- Kronjäger, J.
- Wright, L.
- Mura, A.
- Levi, F.
|
- Robinson, S.
- Xuereb, A.
- Baptie, B.
- Calonico, D.
|
| Abstract |
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. |
|
