Using thunderquakes to X-ray Earth – a new study shows urban seismology in action

Published on Friday, The Conversation reports that researchers have turned ordinary fiber‑optic cables into thousands of vibration sensors to listen to thunder‑induced seismic waves, called thunderquakes. Over two years they recorded four hundred fifty‑eight clear thunderquakes along a two‑mile, more than four kilometer stretch of cable, allowing them to map subsurface features down to three hundred feet, about one hundred meters, using the differing speeds of air‑coupled Rayleigh waves. The resulting “X‑ray” of the ground revealed slow‑velocity zones linked to fractures, water, and potential sinkhole hazards in the limestone karst of State College, Pennsylvania. The team suggests that, because fiber networks already crisscross cities and storms provide a natural energy source, this approach could eventually enable continuous, low‑cost monitoring of shallow underground conditions.

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