Fibre optics could be used to better predict earthquakes

Could a fibre-optic network be used in the future to help predict earthquakes? — AFP Relaxnews

In addition to providing high-speed Internet access, fibre optics could also help detect and measure the intensity of earthquakes. This technology is still in the development phase, but it has the potential to revolutionise a field in which seismographs were long the main tool.

Fibre optics technology is capable of detecting earthquakes of a magnitude 3.5 to 4.5 on the Richter scale. This discovery was made by geophysicists at the Institute of Geophysics at ETH Zurich, in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS).