Perspective chapter: Application of gyroscopes in geophysics

Abstract

More researchers have gradually realized that gyroscopes are powerful rotational measurement sensors, and the use of high-performance gyroscopes in geophysics began in the last decade and continues to deepen. This chapter will present the applications of gyroscopes in geophysics. In rotational seismology, large gyroscopes are used in the observation and analysis of natural earthquakes; miniaturized and portable fiber-optic gyroscopes are used in practical applications, including high-speed-railway seismology, natural earthquake observation, and subsurface structure imaging. In the study of the Earth’s rotation, the angular velocity of the Earth’s rotation is observed with large optical gyroscopes. In gravimetry, high-performance fiber-optic gyroscopes are used to measure the rotational motion generated by the gravitational field and, hence, the gravity gradient.