Using thunderquakes to X-ray Earth – a new study shows urban seismology in action

When lightning strikes, it heats the surrounding air to temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun, creating a sudden expansion that generates a shock wave.

This shock wave is what we hear as thunder.

However, the energy from thunder doesn’t only travel through the air to reach our ears.

When this energy reaches the ground, some of it is converted into seismic waves—vibrations that travel through the soil and rock beneath us.

These vibrations are called thunderquakes.

Until recently, scientists did not fully understand these signals or know how to use them for practical purposes.

Thunderquakes are a natural phenomenon where atmospheric energy is transferred into the Earth’s subsurface, providing a way to study underground structures without invasive methods.