Google's Sundar Pichai reveals company's new plans to detect earthquakes early

Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai took to Twitter claimingthat the company had begun experimenting with technology to enable quickdetection of earthquakes and tsunamis.

The company will usesubsea fibre optic cables to achieve the same. These cables arecapable of detecting earthquakes and tsunamis early and can be deployedas a warning system. The optical fibres are used tosensemovement in a distance ofup to 100 kilometres.

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The tech gianthasdeveloped a technique that could cover a vast area. Google said that it is using existing fibre to detect disturbances on the seafloor. The company said in a blog post: “Better yet, our technique relies on equipment that is present on the vast majority of the world’s existing fiber optic systems, so it is broadly applicable.”

According to Google, these optic fibres can connect different continents to the ocean floor through which most of theinternet’s international traffictoo travels. “Google’s global network of undersea cables makes it possible to share, search, send, and receive information around the world at the speed of light,” it added.

These cables are made of optic fibres that could carry the data in the form of a light pulse travelling at 204,190 kilometres per second.

The receiving end detects these light pulses and a digital signal processor is used to correct distortions. When tracked as apart of optical transmission, the lightis in the state of polarization (SOP). “The SOP changes in response to mechanical disturbances along the cable and tracking these disturbances enables us to detect seismic activity,” Google said.

Google began the project in 2013 and conducted its first experiment in 2019. Since then the technology has detected mild intensity earthquakes in Mexico and Chile. If successfully implemented, this tech could save millions of lives!