Using internet infrastructure for geological hazards monitoring in Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier is a seismically active glaciated stratovolcano in the Cascades Volcanic Arc that has the potential to host a wide range of geological hazards including earthquakes, far-reaching lahars, outburst floods, and debris flows. As one of the most seismically active regions in the Pacific Northwest, tracking seismicity is a primary tool used to monitor these hazards by the Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN). Here, we report on progress using a new technology called Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) that enables the use of existing telecommunications optical fibers as virtual seismic networks. We show that using DAS at Mount Rainier, we are able to detect previously undetected microseismicity in the West Rainier Seismic Zone. Our study lays the groundwork for the efficient augmentation of existing seismic networks with DAS with an eye towards both improved scientific understanding and operational systems.
Dr. Brad Lipovsky, Dr. Marine Denollek, Veronica Gaete Elgueta, Manuela Koefpli, Akash Kharita
University of Washington
Dr. Weston Thelen
US Geological Survey, Cascades Volcano Observatory
Presentation given at North Coast & Cascades Science Days, 2024
go.nps.gov/sciencedays
[MORA]