Cubesats for Earthquake Detection and Disaster Avoidance

Earthquakes are an essential and unavoidable geological event that have been continuing since the
formation of Earth and they are nature’s way of reshaping our world. Unfortunately, they are also very
devastating when they happen near cities and settlements. Especially near fault lines, earthquakes can cause extensive damage. Moreover, when there is an earthquake that has a greater scale then 6.0, the destruction can increase exponentially depending on the geographical conditions as well as on the civil structure at that particular area. The recent massive earthquakes in Turkey in the Middle Anatolian region have also shown how important it is to have all the means available for detecting earthquakes and managing its aftereffects with disaster recovery operations. Thus, the strategy will need to be threefold in dealing with this issue using space technology. This paper deals with these strategies using cubesats for earthquake detection, disaster mapping, and disaster avoidance. There are several studies to suggest that before the beginning of a major seismic event, there are certain fluctuations in certain bands of the electromagnetic spectrum at the upper levels of the atmosphere. It is suggested to place cubesats at certain altitudes at Low Earth Orbit at different locations using
highly elliptic orbits to cover potential earthquake prone areas. Using certain electromagnetic sensors
which have been calibrated to work with certain electromagnetic frequencies, the electromagnetic wave fluctuations at various atmospheric altitudes can be analyzed 24/7 and potential seismic activities can be mapped with these electromagnetic disturbances and then analyzed to observe the correspondence between these two events. The analysis may lead to potential detection of earthquakes slightly before the earthquake happens, which may be useful in disaster mitigation through an early warning system. This way earthquakes and major disasters can be managed to reduce the loss of life.