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Internet fiber optics could provide valuable insight into geological phenomena
Bird’s eye view of the fiber-optic cables used for the FORESEE project in which scientists used pre-existing cables to monitor geological events.
Image: FORESEE, Penn State
Fiber-optic cables run underneath nearly all city grids across the United States and provide internet and cable TV to millions, but what if those systems could also provide valuable information related to hazardous events such as earthquakes and flooding? A team of researchers at Penn State have found they can do just that.
The scientists are using fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology to turn existing telecommunication infrastructure that is already installed underground into a valuable resource for monitoring ground vibrations.
Throughout much of 2020, observers in the Northern Hemisphere found themselves tracking the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn as they appeared to inch closer.