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Abstract Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a new, relatively inexpensive technology that is rapidly demonstrating its promise for recording earthquake waves and other seismic signals in a wide range of research and public safety arenas. It should significantly augment present seismic networks. For several important applications, it should be superior. It employs ordinary fiber‐optic cables, but not as channels for data among separate sophisticated instruments. With DAS, the hair‐thin glass fibers themselves are the sensors. Internal natural flaws serve as seismic strainmeters, kinds of seismic detector. Unused or dark fibers are common in fiber cables widespread around the globe, or in dedicated cables designed for special application, are appropriate for DAS. They can sample passing seismic waves at locations every few meters or closer along paths stretching for tens of kilometers. DAS arrays should enrich the three major areas of local and regional seismology: earthquake monitoring, imaging of faults and many other geologic formations, and hazard assessment. Recent laboratory and field results from DAS tests underscore its broad bandwidth and high‐waveform fidelity. Thus, while still in its infancy, DAS already has shown itself as the working heart—or perhaps ear drums—of a valuable new seismic listening tool. My colleagues and I expect rapid growth of applications. We further expect it to spread into such frontiers as ocean‐bottom seismology, glacial and related cryoseismology, and seismology on other solar system bodies.
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Geolocalization of Large-Scale DAS Channels Using a GPS-Tracked Moving Vehicle
Abstract Geolocalization of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) array channels represents a crucial step whenever the technology is deployed in the field. Commonly, the geolocalization is performed using point-wise active-source experiments, known as tap tests, conducted in the vicinity of the recording fiber. However, these controlled-source experiments are time consuming and greatly diminish the ability to promptly deploy such systems, especially for large-scale DAS experiments. We present a geolocalization methodology for DAS instrumentation that relies on seismic signals generated by a geotracked vehicle. We demonstrate the efficacy of our workflow by geolocating the channels of two DAS systems recording data on dark fibers stretching approximately 100 km within the Long Valley caldera area in eastern California. Our procedure permits the prompt calibration of DAS channel locations for seismic-related applications such as seismic hazard assessment, urban-noise monitoring, wavespeed inversion, and earthquake engineering. We share the developed set of codes along with a tutorial guiding users through the entire mapping process.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1848166
- PAR ID:
- 10405143
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Seismological Research Letters
- Volume:
- 94
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0895-0695
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 318 to 330
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract During the past few years, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) has become an invaluable tool for recording high-fidelity seismic wavefields with great spatiotemporal resolutions. However, the considerable amount of data generated during DAS experiments limits their distribution with the broader scientific community. Such a bottleneck inherently slows down the pursuit of new scientific discoveries in geosciences. Here, we introduce PubDAS—the first large-scale open-source repository where several DAS datasets from multiple experiments are publicly shared. PubDAS currently hosts eight datasets covering a variety of geological settings (e.g., urban centers, underground mines, and seafloor), spanning from several days to several years, offering both continuous and triggered active source recordings, and totaling up to ∼90 TB of data. This article describes these datasets, their metadata, and how to access and download them. Some of these datasets have only been shallowly explored, leaving the door open for new discoveries in Earth sciences and beyond.more » « less
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Abstract Significant interest has developed in using optical fibers for seismology through Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). However, converting DAS strain measurements to actual ground motions can result in errors and uncertainties due to imperfect coupling of the fiber to the earth and instrument response functions. To address this, we conducted a comparative analysis of strain data recorded by DAS, Optical Fiber Strainmeters (OFSs), and estimates derived from seismic data. This study used dark fibers in a commercial cable connecting two islands in Puget Sound, Washington, USA. The cable extends from a telecommunication substation on Whidbey Island, through an underground conduit, and across Saratoga Passage to Camano Island. The strain along the cable was recorded using OFS Michelson interferometers and a DAS interrogator, with a broadband seismometer positioned at one end. Comparing a teleseismic earthquake recording showed that summed DAS channels agreed well with OFS recordings. The amplitude discrepancies between the measurements and the seismometer's estimated strain indicated poor coupling between the cable and the earth. We also evaluated DAS amplitude response using a piezoelectric cylinder (PZT) to generate ground truth strain. The findings revealed a notable amplitude decrease in DAS recordings at lower frequencies, highlighting the need for amplitude calibration. Moreover, some underwater signals in the study area were strongly correlated with the velocity of the tidal current. These signals can be localized through coherence calculations between the DAS and OFS recordings.more » « less
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Abstract This article documents a comprehensive subsurface imaging experiment using seismic waves in a well-studied outdoor laboratory at Newberry, Florida, which is known for significant spatial variability, karstic voids, and underground anomalies. The experiment used approximately two kilometers of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) fiber-optic cable, forming a dense 2D array of 1920 horizontal-component channels, and a 2D array of 144 SmartSolo three-component nodal seismometers, to sense active-source and passive-wavefield seismic waves. The active-source data were generated using a powerful, triaxial vibroseis shaker truck (T-Rex) and impact sources (accelerated weight drop and an eight-pound sledgehammer) that were simultaneously recorded by both the DAS and nodal seismometers. The vibroseis truck was used to excite the ground in three directions (two horizontal and one vertical) at 260 locations inside and outside the instrumented array, whereas the impact sources were used at 268 locations within the instrumented array. The passive-wavefield data recorded using the nodal seismometers comprised 48 hr of ambient noise collected over a period of four days in four 12-hour time blocks, whereas the passive wavefield data collected using DAS consisted of four hours of ambient noise recordings. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the testing site, experiment layout, the DAS and nodal seismometer acquisition parameters, and implemented raw data processing steps. Although potential use cases, such as surface-wave testing, full-waveform inversion, and ambient noise tomography, are discussed relative to example data, the focus of this article is on documenting this unique data set and presenting its initial data quality rather than on generating subsurface imaging results. The raw and processed data, along with detailed documentation of the experiment and Python tools to aid in visualizing the DAS data set, have been made publicly available.more » « less
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Abstract Earthquake focal mechanisms provide critical in-situ insights about the subsurface faulting geometry and stress state. For frequent small earthquakes (magnitude< 3.5), their focal mechanisms are routinely determined using first-arrival polarities picked on the vertical component of seismometers. Nevertheless, their quality is usually limited by the azimuthal coverage of the local seismic network. The emerging distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology, which can convert pre-existing telecommunication cables into arrays of strain/strain-rate meters, can potentially fill the azimuthal gap and enhance constraints on the nodal plane orientation through its long sensing range and dense spatial sampling. However, determining first-arrival polarities on DAS is challenging due to its single-component sensing and low signal-to-noise ratio for direct body waves. Here, we present a data-driven method that measures P-wave polarities on a DAS array based on cross-correlations between earthquake pairs. We validate the inferred polarities using the regional network catalog on two DAS arrays, deployed in California and each comprising ~ 5000 channels. We demonstrate that a joint focal mechanism inversion combining conventional and DAS polarity picks improves the accuracy and reduces the uncertainty in the focal plane orientation. Our results highlight the significant potential of integrating DAS with conventional networks for investigating high-resolution earthquake source mechanisms.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1785/0220220169
