Fibre-Optic Cables Could Unravel Moon's Inner Secrets

Researchers at ETH Zurich and international partners, including Los Alamos National Laboratory, are assessing a novel approach to studying the Moon's inner geological structure. This method involves using fibre-optic cables across the lunar surface instead of traditional heavy seismometers. The study detailing this approach was published in Earth and Space Science.

A novel study published in Earth and Space Science introduces a groundbreaking method for lunar geological exploration: utilizing fibre-optic cables as a vast seismic network across the Moon's surface.

Background on Lunar Seismic Studies

The last Apollo astronauts deployed seismic instruments on the Moon in 1972. These instruments operated until 1977, providing a dataset of thousands of moonquakes. Current scientists still rely on this data, but it offers a limited view into the Moon's interior.

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) Technology

The proposed approach utilizes