Tim's submarine fiber optic cables to measure the relationship between earthquakes and volcanoes. This is the innovative research carried out by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology and by the GeoForschungsZentrum of Potsdam which has seen the use of the stretch of submarine optical fiber which extends for about 50 kilometers between the Tim Volcano in Milazzo. This initiative opens up possible application scenarios that see the Group's terrestrial and submarine fiber optic infrastructures also used in the scientific field for the development of new generation sensor solutions.
In detail, the experiment, the first of its kind in Italy, took place in Sicilian waters for about a month and used the optical fiber as a seismic sensor, making it possible to acquire the recorded signals with high spatial (about 4 meters) and temporal (1 kHz) resolution.
The DAS (Distributed Acoustic Sensing) device was installed at the plant to capture less marked seismic movements, which conventional sensors would not be able to trace. This technique would be able to send pulses of light into the fiber and to record the backscattered signal, from whose analysis the movement of the earth can be obtained, with remote control via the Internet.
During the experimentation, about 20 Terabytes of data were acquired continuously, now being studied by scientists to understand the processes responsible for the reawakening of volcanic activity on the island. Already from the first analyzes it was found that the new technology adopted showed a good accuracy and sensitivity of the seismic signals, allowing to observe the variations of dynamic deformations created by anthropic and natural sources, with evident variations of strain on the fiber generated by local seismic events .
The purpose of monitoring system is to create a technology capable of predicting earthquakes and eruptions well in advance of any possible volcanic risk and to guarantee the widest possible window of time for the possible evacuation of those who live in neighboring areas.
