Fiber-optic gyroscope for rotational seismic ground motion monitoring of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area.

The real-time monitoring of densely populated areas with high seismic and volcanic risk is of crucial importance for the safety of people and infrastructures. When an earthquake occurs, the Earth surface experiences both translational and rotational motions. The latter are usually not monitored, but their measurement and characterization are essential for a full description of the ground motion. Here we present preliminary observational data of a high-sensitivity rotational sensor based on a 2-km-long fiber-optic Sagnac gyroscope, presently under construction in the middle of the Campi Flegrei Volcanic Area (Pozzuoli, Italy). We have evaluated its performance by analyzing data continuously recorded during an acquisition campaign of five months. The experimental setup was composed of a digital nine-component seismic station equipped with both a rotational sensor and conventional seismic sensors (seismometers, accelerometers, and tiltmeters). During this experiment we detected seismic noise and ground rotations wavefield induced by small to medium local earthquakes (M D<3). The prototype gyroscope shows a very promising sensitivity in the range of 5×10-7-8×10-9 r a d/s/H z over the frequency bandwidth 5 mHz-50 Hz. Future upgrades and perspectives are discussed.

One-Year Seismic Survey of the Tectonic CO2-Rich Site of Mefite d'Ansanto (Southern Italy): Preliminary Insights in the Seismic Noise Wavefield.

A passive seismic experiment is carried out at the non-volcanic highly degassing site of Mefite d'Ansanto located at the northern tip of the Irpinia region (southern Italy), where the 1980 MS 6.9 destructive earthquake occurred. Between 2020 and 2021, background seismic noise was recorded by deploying a broadband seismic station and a seismic array composed of seven 1 Hz three-component sensors. Using two different array configurations, we were allowed to explore in detail the 1-20 Hz frequency band of the seismic noise wavefield as well as Rayleigh wave phase velocities in the 400-800 m/s range. Spectral analyses and array techniques were applied to one year of data showing that the frequency content of the signal is very stable in time. High frequency peaks are likely linked to the emission source, whereas at low frequencies seismic noise is clearly correlated to meteorological parameters. The results of this study show that small aperture seismic arrays probe the subsurface of tectonic CO2-rich emission areas and contribute to the understanding of the link between fluid circulation and seismogenesis in seismically active regions.

Opto-mechanical lab-on-fibre seismic sensors detected the Norcia earthquake.

We have designed and developed lab-on-fibre seismic sensors containing a micro-opto-mechanical cavity on the fibre tip. The mechanical cavity is designed as a double cantilever suspended on the fibre end facet and connected to a proof mass to tune its response. Ground acceleration leads to displacement of the cavity length, which in turn can be remotely detected using an interferometric interrogation technique. After the sensors characterization, an experimental validation was conducted at the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), which is responsible for seismic surveillance over the Italian country. The fabricated sensors have been continuously used for long periods to demonstrate their effectiveness as seismic accelerometer sensors. During the tests, fibre optic seismic accelerometers clearly detected the seismic sequence that culminated in the severe Mw6.5 Norcia earthquake that struck central Italy on October 30, 2016. The seismic data provided by the optical sensors were analysed by specialists at the INGV. The wave traces were compared with state-of-the-art traditional sensors typically incorporated into the INGV seismic networks. The comparison verifies the high fidelity of the optical sensors in seismic wave detection, indicating their suitability for a novel class of seismic sensors to be employed in practical scenarios.

Cascadia tremor located near plate interface constrained by S minus P wave times.

Nonvolcanic tremor is difficult to locate because it does not produce impulsive phases identifiable across a seismic network. An alternative approach to identifying specific phases is to measure the lag between the S and P waves. We cross-correlate vertical and horizontal seismograms to reveal signals common to both, but with the horizontal delayed with respect to the vertical. This lagged correlation represents the time interval between vertical compressional waves and horizontal shear waves. Measurements of this interval, combined with location techniques, resolve the depth of tremor sources within +/-2 kilometers. For recent Cascadia tremor, the sources locate near or on the subducting slab interface. Strong correlations and steady S-P time differences imply that tremor consists of radiation from repeating sources.