Underwater Telecom Cables Used as Seismic Network

Researchers have turned 20 kilometers of undersea fiber-optic cable into the equivalent of 10,000 seismic stations along the ocean floor. A 3.5 magnitude quake and seismic scattering from underwater fault zones were recorded. The technique, which had previously been tested with fiber-optic cables on land, could provide much-needed data on quakes that occur under the sea, where few seismic stations exist, leaving 70% of Earth's surface without earthquake detectors.