Oregon State University researchers have found that fin whale songs interact with the ocean floor, being reflected and refracted by the sediments and bedrock, and can be used to measure the thickness of these layers as well as providing other data.
An innovative study suggests that songs of fin whales can be used for seismic studies of the oceanic subsurface. This could essentially open up a new avenue for geologic research and even reduce the need for seismic studies in the ocean, which is disturbing and even harmful to whales.
Image credits: Kuna and Nábelek.
Earthquakes are some of nature’s most devastating processes, but in some ways, they can also be useful. Most of what we know about the Earth’s internal structure comes from earthquakes: researchers can analyze vibrations caused by seismic waves and draw conclusions about the Earth’s subsurface from the near-surface crust to the depths of the mantle and the core.