IIT Madras researchers develop new approach to detect seismic activity

This lead time, though appearing minute, is sufficient to shut nuclear reactors, transportations like metros or even elevators in high-rise buildings to save countless human lives, they claimed.

Chennai: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have come up with a new approach to accurately detect earthquakes and launch measures within 30 seconds to 2 minutes after picking up the initial warning signals to save precious human lives and property.

This lead time, though appearing minute, is sufficient to shut nuclear reactors, transportations like metros or even elevators in high-rise buildings to save countless human lives, they claimed. The approach could also be precisely utilised to detect faults and isolation in other domains.

“Information of P-wave arrival is crucial in determining other source parameters of the event such as magnitude, depth and epicentre location. Therefore, a solution to the P-wave detection problem that is robust, accurate and precise is essential in order to estimate the event details correctly and to reduce the damage caused by the earthquake or other triggered events,” says Kanchan Aggarwal, PhD scholar, IIT, Madras who undertook the research under the guidance of professor Arun K Tangirala, Department of Chemical Engineering.

Highlighting the practical applications of this research, partially funded by the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, an advisory body of the Department of Atomic Energy, professor 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.

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