Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions could one day be predicted - from space.
Scientists are developing a new satellite system that will monitor the Earth's seismic activity from space, which could potentially allow advanced notice of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The TwinSat project is to put two nano-satellites into low Earth orbit 400km apart, both working to collect and interpret electromagnetic signatures emitted from the Earth's surface. The two linked satellites will monitor zones with high seismic and volcanic activity, such as Iceland and the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia
The joint UK-Russian team working on the project plans to launch TwinSat in early 2015, with scientists saying the technology could help security agencies in anticipating natural disasters more effectively.
The project is a partnership between the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London and two Russian institutions, the Institute of Physics of the Earth and the International Science and Technology Center.
The technology is based on the knowledge that before an earthquake or volcano, electromagnetic signals are released in the areas that will be affected. For example sensors picked up electromagnetic signals of seismic activivy before the devastating Haiti earthquake in 2010 (pictured), but they were only identified and analysed properly afterwards.
According to Dr Dhiren Kataria from University College London, one of the institutions involved in the programme, these signals are hard to detect on Earth. ‘The signatures are much too weak and the signal-to-noise level is much worse," he told The Engineer. "Also, to be able to observe it, you need the sensors to be very close to the earthquake site and that is not always possible because most of our ground sensors are at fixed locations." In space, however, such noise is reduced because it is a vacuum, which according to Dr Kataria means "the spread of the signal is over a much wider region, so you can capture it far easier".
Professor Vitaly Chmyrev from the Institute of Physics of the Earth said the technology could theoretically make "the Earth a safer place" by providing a far faster advance notice of impending seismic shifts, thereby creating a volcano eruption and earthquake early warning system. He said: "Just imagine if we could have accurately predicted the Haiti earthquake a few weeks before," said Professor Chmyrev. "Or if we had predicted the Icelandic volcano eruption that paralysed transport routes for weeks. The potential human and economic benefits are enormous."
Peter Sammonds, a Professor of Geophysics at UCL, said the technology was relatively cheap. "These satellites are absolutely incredible, you can almost hold them in the palm of your hand," he said. "If the project progresses as we want it to, we'll be able to send up several more of them to increase coverage."
Image Credit to: Marco Dormino/United Nations Earthquake Programme.
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