Fiber Optic Seismology

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) can transform the already existing underground network of fiber-optic cables essential to modern life as arrays of thousands of seismometers with a measurement density on the order of meters and so, in a cost-effective way. DAS relies on coherent optical time-domain reflectometry to precisely measure the amplitude and phase of vibrations along a fiber. This new type of data for seismologists is offering many new opportunities for research. We want to explore its potential for ultra-high resolution imaging, microzonation in urban areas, and possibly for landslide and volcano monitoring. For more information about this technique, check out the video at the bottom of this page.

Recent papers:

  • Spica Z., Nishida K., Akuhara T., Pétrélis F., Shinohara M., Yamada Y., Marine Sediment Characterized by Ocean-Bottom Fiber-Optic Seismology, Geophysical Research Letters, 2020, doi: 10.1029/2020GL088360.  Paper
  • Spica Z., Perton M., Martin E., Beroza G., Biondi B., Urban Seismic Site Characterization by Fiber-Optic Seismology, 2020, Journal of Geophysical Research (Solid Earth), doi:10.1029/2019JB018656.  Paper
  • Lellouch A., Yuan S., Spica Z., Biondi B., and Ellsworth W. L., Seismic velocity estimation using passive downhole distributed acoustic sensing records – examples from the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth, 2019, Journal of Geophysical Research (Solid Earth), doi:10.1029/2019JB017533.  Paper
Figure is from Lelouch et al., 2019