[CLSTR]
< Back to situations

Monitor this situation.

[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [TECHNOLOGY]

2 clusters · 6 sources · 4 days · First seen · Last updated

Subsurface mapping using thunder-induced seismic waves

Overview

Researchers, including a team led by Nolan Roth at Pennsylvania State University, have demonstrated that “thunderquakes”—seismic waves generated when thunder energy hits the ground—can be utilized to map subsurface structures.

As part of the Penn State FORESEE project, scientists employed distributed acoustic sensing to convert existing telecommunications fiber-optic cables into a massive sensor array. By using a laser-pulsing computer to measure minute vibrations in the cables, the team identified 458 high-quality seismic events over a two-year period.

By analyzing Rayleigh surface waves, the researchers successfully mapped the subsurface up to 100 meters deep. This method, which functions similarly to a medical ultrasound or X-ray, identified low-velocity regions that may indicate the presence of fluids, fractures, or sediments. The technology offers a potential way to monitor groundwater movement, environmental contamination, sinkholes, and building foundations without the need for excavation.

Entities

Science Advances · Penn State University · Pennsylvania State University · FORESEE project · Nolan Roth

Timeline

  1. 3 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 4 sources
    Pennsylvania State University researchers use thunder for subsurface mapping

    Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have found that thunder vibrations can be used for seismic tomography to map the subsurface up to 100 meters deep using fiber optic cables.

  2. 7 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Thunderquakes can be used to map Earth's subsurface

    Scientists have found that thunderquakes can be used to map the Earth's subsurface, such as groundwater and sinkholes, by using existing fiber-optic cables as highly sensitive seismic vibration sensors.

Sources

lagacetaonline.com.ar · laopinioncoruna.es · meteored.com.ar · muynegociosyeconomia.es · nationofchange.org · scientificamerican.com