Previously, scientists relied on seismic waves generated by earthquakes to determine what lies beneath the Earth's surface. However, a new study presented an alternative method: using waves generated after a lightning strike to gather information about underground layers and rocks.
These waves have been named 'thunderquakes'. By analyzing the signals of these waves, it is possible to determine how they change as they pass through the Earth. It is these changes that give scientists clues about the structures and rocks deep beneath the surface, which is essentially similar to an X-ray image.
When lightning strikes the ground, enormous energy instantly reaches the surface, causing vibrational waves within the Earth. These waves are called 'thunderquakes' and differ from ordinary earthquakes. While earthquakes generate waves due to internal movements of the Earth, 'thunderquakes' arise directly from the lightning strike.
As these waves propagate deeper into the Earth, they pass through various layers and rocks. As they pass through them, the speed and direction of the waves can change. Scientists collect and record these changes to gain insights into the subsurface structure.
X-rays allow us to see the internal structure of the body, and similarly, 'thunderquake' waves can provide signals about different rocks and layers passing through the Earth. If a different type of rock is located in a specific area underground, the wave's behavior will also change. By studying these variations, scientists can hypothesize about the exact structure existing beneath the surface.
Traditionally, seismic waves are used to understand the Earth's internal layers, but earthquakes do not occur everywhere or constantly. Thus, waves caused by lightning can offer an additional way to obtain data. Since lightning strikes occur in different parts of the world, recording the signals of 'thunderquakes' resulting from these phenomena will allow scientists to correlate them with information about the Earth's interior.
Nevertheless, at present, it is inaccurate to call this method a direct X-ray of the Earth. Scientists need to collect more data from different locations and verify how accurately lightning-generated waves provide information about different types of soil and rocks. Currently, the new work has only demonstrated the potential of 'thunderquake' waves generated by lightning strikes for obtaining information about the Earth's interior. With further refinement of this approach, it may become a new tool for studying the planet's internal layers in the future.