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Geoscientists are using telecom 'dark fibres' to map Earth’s innards

The networks of fibre optic cables that criss-cross the planet could be used to better understand what’s happening inside it

By James Dinneen

15 April 2024

Fibre optic cables designed to carry telecommunications can also be used to map Earth’s interior

Connect world/Shutterstock

Offline telecom cables called “dark fibres” can be used to sense underground seismic waves. Geophysicists are increasingly using such signals to study aspects of Earth’s subsurface, including hidden sources of geothermal energy and earthquake hazards.

“If a large earthquake happens on the fibre on which we are speaking, the frequencies in my voice would be slightly distorted,” at ETH Zurich in Switzerland told 鶹ý on a video call.

He is referring to how earthquakes or even mild ambient seismic…

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