Let’s face it. Earthquakes can be terrifying.

From the sensation of the world shaking beneath your feet, to the fear of what might happen next, it doesn’t matter how many earthquake drills you’ve followed – there’s always a sense of the unpredictable, the unknown.

So it falls on scientists to try to make the unknown more knowable.

Though we have no way of stopping earthquakes before they begin – and, given that they occur thanks to the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates, such a prevention strategy is unlikely to be developed – there is one way that we can gain more of a semblance of control in earthquake situations. And that is by predicting them, a notoriously difficult task that scientists the world over have been trying to grapple with.

But a team in New Zealand may just have the answer.

According to a statement from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), based in the UK, their groundbreaking work with the Measurement Standards Laboratory of New Zealand, has detected earthquakes using undersea cables for the first time.

The researchers have modified the Southern Cross Next seafloor cable, which runs under the sea between Australia and New Zealand, adding sensors that gather real time information and relay them to scientists on dry land.

The first project of its kind, NPL’s principal scientist Giuseppe Marra explained in the statement just how cutting-edge their earthquake detection system really is:

“We are very excited to have started detecting earthquakes and ocean currents in the Tasman Sea. This is the very first test of this technology in the Pacific Ocean and the waters surrounding New Zealand are the ’perfect laboratory’ to demonstrate the full potential of these innovative cable-based ocean monitoring techniques for Earth sciences and coastal population protection.”

And their measurements have been impressive, with over 50 earthquakes already detected by the cable – which isn’t just detecting the motion of nearby quakes.

In fact, the furthest earthquake detected by the sensors actually occurred hundreds of miles away from the seafloor cable.

The project – which runs until the end of 2025 – shows just how untapped a resource the seabed is when it comes to detecting these potentially devastating natural disasters.

And, as Southern Cross Cables Ltd’s Chief Technical Officer Dean Veverka explained in the NPL statement, the benefits of the project are wide-reaching:

“Recently we have seen, and the Pacific Islands have experienced, the impact that natural disasters can have on communities and livelihood. Early detection of earthquakes and changes in the seabed can enable communities to better prepare for, and protect against, these natural events.”

Not only can better detection measures help islanders to prepare for potential seismic activity, the data can also help scientists and researchers gain a better understanding of exactly how our planet works.

And with the ever-increasing climate crisis continuing to exacerbate the planet’s intrinsic behaviors, when it comes to deepening our understanding of the Earth’s impending natural disasters, there is no time like the present.

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