Volcano monitoring gyroscope reveals secrets of earthquakes

A new fiber-optic gyroscope developed for the Campi Flegrei volcanic area in Naples has shown the potential to improve earthquake monitoring by detecting ground rotations. This system, which has been tested over several months, can provide important data for early warning systems and risk assessment in seismically active volcanic areas. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Researchers have developed a prototype fiber-optic gyroscope to monitor Earth's rotation during earthquakes in Campi Flegrei, Naples. This advanced sensor system, which captures rotational and linear movements, could lead to better risk assessments and early warning systems in this volcanic region.

“When seismic activity occurs, the Earth's surface is subjected to linear and rotational movements,” said research team leader Saverio Avino of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Istituto Nazionale di Ottica. “Although the cycles are generally very small and are not typically observed, being able to capture them will provide a more complete understanding of the Earth's internal dynamics and earthquake sources.”

The new rotation sensor, based on a 2 km long fiber-optic gyroscope, recorded data continuously over five months and successfully detected noise and ground rotation from small to medium local earthquakes. The researchers published preliminary observational data from the sensor in Optica Publishing Group's journal Applied Optics.

Researchers have built a prototype of a fiber-optic gyroscope (pictured) for high-resolution, real-time monitoring of Earth's rotation caused by earthquakes in an active volcanic region. The fibers are carefully wound around an aluminum spool to form a gyroscope based on the Sagnac effect. Photography: Saverio Avino, CNR-INO

Deployment of sensors in Naples

Naples, home to about 3 million people and three active volcanoes, is equipped with a network of multi-parameter sensors covering the entire city. These sensors monitor numerous physical and chemical parameters to study seismic and volcanic activity in real time.

“Measuring the Earth’s rotation will add another piece to this complex mosaic of sensors,” said Danilo Galluzzo of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. “This additional information will also help in comprehensively understanding volcanic seismic signals, which are essential for detecting any changes in volcanic dynamics.”

A fiber-optic gyroscope captured small to moderate earthquakes, including this swarm, in the Campi Flegrei volcanic region in Naples, Italy. Photography: Saverio Avino, CNR-INO

Measuring rotational motion

Gyroscopes are devices used to detect and measure changes in direction or angular velocity – the rate at which an object rotates. For example, in smartphones, simple gyroscopes detect and measure the device's orientation and rotation. To measure the rotation of seismic waves generated by an earthquake or volcanic activity, researchers have developed a more complex gyroscope based on the Sagnac effect.

The Sagnac effect occurs when light traveling in opposite directions around a closed loop exhibits different travel times. This results in measurable interference patterns in the light that depend on the ring's rotation rate. By measuring light interference, angular velocity can be detected with high accuracy.

Map of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area with seismic stations belonging to the monitoring network (blue triangles), fiber-optic gyroscopes (orange circle) and some recorded seismic events (red circles). Photography: Saverio Avino, CNR-INO

“Our laboratories are located in the heart of an active volcanic area, which is a natural source of earthquakes,” Avino said. “Since we encounter small and medium earthquakes almost every day, we can measure and obtain a large number of data about the Earth's rotation, which can be successively analyzed to study seismic and volcanic phenomena in the Campi Flegrei area.”

Capture seismic activity

The researchers assembled a prototype of a fiber-optic rotational sensor using standard laboratory tools and components. To test it, they injected light into a 2-kilometre-long fiber-optic cable, similar to those used in optical communications. The fiber cable formed a loop where inputs and outputs are connected, creating a continuous light path without any breaks, and was neatly wrapped around a 25cm diameter aluminum spool to form a coil.

The National Research Council laboratories are photographed at the foot of the tranquil Monte Jauro volcano. Photography: Saverio Avino, CNR-INO

During experiments, the optical sensor is kept in a controlled laboratory environment in a building located on top of a volcano's caldera — a large depression that forms when a volcano erupts and collapses. “This first version of the system showed accuracy comparable to other modern fiber-optic gyroscopes,” said the paper's first author, Marialuisa Capizzuto, of CNR-INO who worked on the device. “It also has a very good duty cycle – the percentage of time the instrument is measuring/acquiring data – which allowed us to run the system continuously for about five months.”

“A typical gyroscope can measure only one of the three directional components of rotational motion. However, a combination of three of the same gyroscopes, each oriented to capture a different axis of rotation, can be used to capture all three components,” said Luigi Santamaria Amato of the Italian Space Agency (ASI). “All of them.” Once the researchers improve the accuracy and stability of the single-axis system, they plan to create a three-axis gyroscope. Eventually, they want to establish a permanent geostationary observatory in the Campi Flegrei area.

Reference: “Fiber-optic gyroscope for monitoring rotational seismic ground motion of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area” by Paolo Di Natale, Danilo Galluzzo, Marialuisa Capizzuto, Antonio Giorgini, Luigi Santamaria Amato, Roberto Manzo, Ezio D'Alema, Saverio Aveino, Pietro Mallara, Lucia Nardone, Guido Gaudiosi, Davide d'Ambrosio and Gianluca Gagliardi, 31 May 2024, Applied Optics.DOI:10.1364/AO.518354

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