Muons are unstable high-energy elementary particles with a negative electrical charge created by cosmic rays. They are found all over the atmosphere and can pass through a variety of substances. Muons can be displaced by major natural disasters, including tsunamis.

tsunami

• Detecting muon motion requires an incredibly sensitive instrument, the Tokyo Bay Deep Sea Detector (TS-HKMSDD). The device system is installed inside the highway tunnel.
• Japanese scientists explained that the detector was the first person in the world to detect tsunami waves. The transaction took place in real time and showed high accuracy.
• The TS-HKMSDD system detected a weak tsunami that ravaged Tokyo Bay in September 2021, caused by a typhoon approaching Japan from the south. As the ocean became turbulent, the number of muons emitted into the water changed.

These data correspond to tsunami information obtained by other methods. Using the indicators of other instruments, you can use myographic data to accurately model changes in sea level, bypassing methods that have shortcomings,
– said geophysicist Hiroyuki Tanaka of the University of Tokyo in Japan.

According to scientists, such a system can now be used to detect impending tsunamis and thus help save lives. After all, the sooner we learn about the approaching water, the more people will be able to evacuate.

The technology is also being offered to search for natural gas reserves and traces of ancient earthquakes.