Using thunderquakes to X-ray Earth
Researchers have developed a method to use fiber-optic cables as seismic sensors to detect 'thunderquakes' caused by lightning strikes. This technique allows scientists to map subsurface structures like groundwater and sinkholes with high precision.
Why it matters
This innovation provides a low-cost, non-invasive way to monitor geological stability and environmental conditions using existing urban infrastructure.
As lightning lights up apartment buildings, the thunder creates useful vibrations. Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images Using thunderquakes to X‑ray Earth – a new study shows urban seismology in action Published: August 21, 2026 1:59pm EDT https://theconversation.com/using-thunderquakes-to-x-ray-earth-a-new-study-shows-urban-seismology-in-action-289961 https://theconversation.com/using-thunderquakes-to-x-ray-earth-a-new-study-shows-urban-seismology-in-action-289961 Link copied Share article Share article
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When lightning strikes, it superheats the air around it and creates a shock wave that we hear as thunder. But thunder doesn’t just travel through the atmosphere to our ears.
When that energy reaches the ground, some of it is converted into seismic waves that ripple through the soil and rock beneath. The resulting vibrations are known as “thunderquakes.”
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