This mechanism makes it possible to classify submarine earthquakes in real time and determine the potential risk of tsunamis, according to an article that appears in Physics of Fluids.

Tsunamis are incredibly destructive waves that can destroy coastal infrastructure and cause loss of life.

Early warnings for such natural disasters are difficult because the risk of a tsunami is highly dependent on the characteristics of the triggering undersea earthquake.

According to the study authors, tectonic events with a strong vertical slip element are more likely to raise or lower the water column compared to horizontal slip elements.

Therefore, they detailed, knowing the type of landslide in the early stages of the evaluation can reduce false alarms and improve the reliability of warning systems through independent cross-validation.

In these cases time is of the essence and relying on deep ocean wave buoys to gauge water levels often leaves insufficient evacuation time.

Instead, researchers propose to measure the acoustic radiation (sound) produced by the earthquake, which carries information about the tectonic event and travels significantly faster than the waves of a tsunami.

Underwater microphones, called hydrophones, record acoustic waves and monitor tectonic activity in real time.

The scientists tested their model with the available hydrophone data and found it almost instantly and successfully described the earthquake parameters with little computational demand.

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