IIT Madras develops novel approach for accurate detection of quakes

Researchers claim a lead time of even 30 seconds - 2 minutes, though appearing small, is sufficient to shut down nuclear reactors, transportations such as metros, to stop elevators in high-rise buildings, saving countless lives. 

Researchers of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have developed a new approach for accurate detection of earthquakes. The proposed solution results in accurate detection and picking of the first waves in earthquake signals, which will provide a small lead time and enable measures to save lives. 

An estimate of accurate time of arrival of non-destructive waves of earthquakes would not only help in developing a robust early warning system but also gives a lead time of approximately 30 seconds to two minutes (range may vary primarily depending on the distance of epicentre location from the monitoring site or plant) till the destructive surface waves hit the ground. 

This lead time, though appearing small, is sufficient to shut down the nuclear reactors, transportation such as metro and to park the elevators in high rise building at the nearest floor, among numerous other measures that can save countless lives. 

The research was undertaken by Kanchan Aggarwal, PhD scholar, IIT Madras, under the guidance of Arun K Tangirala, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Madras. The research was partially funded by Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, an advisory body of the Department of Atomic Energy. The findings were published in the journal ‘PLOS ONE’. 

Highlighting the practical applications of this Research and how it can be taken to the field, Tangirala said, “The proposed framework is not necessarily limited to the detection of seismic events but is generic and can be used for fault detection and isolation in other domains as well. Furthermore, the framework can incorporate any predictive models, including machine learning and deep learning models, which will reduce the human intervention in the detection.” 

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