A new project turns Internet lines into an earthquake monitoring system

Newswise – On a warm August afternoon, on a quiet side street in Arcata, California, a group of Cal Poly Humboldt students took turns swinging a sledgehammer at a small steel plate on the ground. They pause for five seconds and deliver another blow. Five seconds. last.

Each blow sends a resonance echoing down the street and vibrations deep into the ground. In a lab half a mile away, scientists monitor their monitors to see if those vibrations register on a seismometer-like device, a distributed acoustic sensor. The hits are spaced five seconds apart so they can be distinguished from other ground sounds, such as passing cars.

The students are performing what is known as a tap test, part of an experiment to explore the use of fiber-optic lines to detect earthquakes, which could one day help communities receive warnings of seismic events more quickly.

This project is part of a multi-year, multi-agency effort led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Cal Poly Humboldt, Vero Fiber Network, and state and local partners to monitor seismic activity.

The tests are being conducted over buried fiber optic cables in Humboldt County, which is located in the most seismically active part of the continental United States. These cables, which will provide high-speed internet to more than 20,000 residents in the area, can also be used to detect earthquakes by picking up even the smallest seismic disturbances. When vibrations pass through — whether from a sledgehammer or an actual earthquake — they stretch or compress the fibers slightly, changing the pulses of light that carry the data. Scientists can detect these changes on the interrogator, which is connected to cables and is extremely sensitive, and can detect small earthquakes as strong as one on the Richter scale.

“This is a huge leap in research capacity in seismology,” explains Eric Riggs, co-leader of the project and dean of the College of Natural Resources and Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt. “It ushers in a new era of earthquake detection and monitoring.”

Fiber-optic earthquake detection systems help scientists understand how to better prepare for earthquake impacts, explains USGS geophysicist and ShakeAlert chief scientist Jeff McGuire. “A system like this could also be used for rapid earthquake detection needed to give hospitals, schools and entire communities a few precious seconds to prepare for impact and minimize damage.”

The research builds on work already underway in Humboldt County, where fiber optic cables are being installed to expand Internet access as part of California's Middle Mile Broadband Expansion Program. Three years ago, Cal Poly Humboldt partnered with the USGS in a pilot study using a small fiber line between Arcata and Eureka. Conventional seismometers were installed parallel to the fiber line to study the difference between what was detected by methods during an earthquake.

The project also strengthened Cal Poly Humboldt's seismic research capabilities and expanded its role in seismic research statewide. The university recently became a participating institution in California's statewide earthquake center. The center is a collaboration of agencies across the state that advance earthquake science, community resilience and education.

Over the next three years, researchers – including students – will continue to evaluate the cables' ability to monitor seismic activity. Cal Poly Humboldt will serve as a central hub, connecting fiber-optic lines and creating a testing platform for the technology.

This technology is revolutionizing earthquake monitoring and research, McGuire says. “Cal Poly Humboldt is creating an incredible test facility for earthquake research. Using fiber-optic networks that already exist, we will collect data needed to test ways to build a faster, smarter early warning system that can reduce the impact of future earthquakes.”

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