Infrasound sensors may detect possible plane explosion

Originally published on March 12, 2014

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The explosion of a plane at a high altitude can be detected by infrasound stations set up around the world. These stations, set up by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) to pick up atmospheric nuclear explosions, can detect low-frequency sounds below the human hearing range.

The technology would be able to pick up an explosion on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 if it happened to have taken place near one of the monitoring stations, Lassina Zerbo, executive director CTBTO said.

"Infrasound is produced by a variety of natural and man-made sources: exploding volcanoes, earthquakes, meteors, storms and auroras in the natural world; nuclear, mining and large chemical explosions, as well as aircraft and rocket launches in the man-made arena," the CTBTO said on its website.

At an infrasound station, sound waves produced in these events travel through pipe structures leading to a microbarometer sensor that measures changes in the air pressure caused by infrasonic waves. The information is then sent out via satellite for data processing.

Sixty such stations are set up in 35 countries around the world.

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