Infrasonic Sensor Networks: Principles and Operation

This page provides a fundamental overview of infrasonic sensors and how infrasonic sensor networks function. Infrasonics involves the study of sound waves with frequencies below the human hearing range, typically from 0.1 Hz to about 20 Hz.

Infrasonics has a wide array of applications, including earthquake monitoring, geological exploration for petroleum and mineral deposits, obstacle detection, nuclear explosion detection, and even potential aircraft explosions.

Infrasonic Sensor Network Operation

Infrasonic sensor network

Underground or atmospheric explosions generate very low-frequency waves known as infrasound waves, which are imperceptible to humans.

A typical infrasound network is composed of multiple stations. Each station consists of several infrasonic sensors spaced approximately 1-3 km apart.

Infrasonic sensor elements

Here’s a breakdown of how the network operates:

1. When an explosion occurs, audible waves travel to the infrasonic sensors through specialized pipes.
2. The sensor, positioned at the center of an array of elements, converts the infrasound waves into electrical signals.
3. Each sensor transmits its data to a nearby antenna tower, using either radio frequency waves or fiber optic cables.
4. The master radio station collects the data from all the sensors and prepares it for transmission to a satellite.
5. The satellite relays the data to a ground station facility (such as the CTBTO in Vienna, Austria) for detailed analysis.
6. This analysis provides valuable information about the nature of the event that occurred, whether it was on the earth’s surface, underground, in the sea, or in the air.