It is often mistaken that most global communication is taking place with the help of satellites when in reality, over 95% of international communication and voice transfers are routed through optic cables that cross the world’s seafloors.
The earliest submarine cables carried telegraphic traffic, then the first successful Atlantic submarine cable became operational in 1866 which could deliver about 12 telegraphed words per minute. In 1988, the first transoceanic fiber-optic cable was installed in the UK and France. Thereafter, the number of submarine fiber-option cables increased rapidly. This is also because of the speed, volume, and economics of data and voice communication.
Submarine cables are essential for global communication. They provide connectivity between countries, as well as with the rest of the world. They also provide critical, commercial, economic, and national endeavors along with other civilian, military, and government offshore communications traffic.
This brings us to the matter where if these cables break, it could be a disaster for the whole country’s internet connection along with natural disasters like an earthquake, or a tsunami.
Such an incident happened on 18 November 1929 in Newfoundland, Canada. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake occurred all around the city. The residents just noticed a little damage at first but then around two hours later, a total of 28 people lost their lives as a wild tsunami erupted from the ocean.
This incident, in itself, was such a huge disaster for the people of that area when it had a longer-lasting effect further out at the sea. This triggered a submarine landslide. Back in the time, no one knew such a thing even existed. When the sediments in the ocean are disturbed by earthquakes and other geological activities, it makes the water denser causing it to flow downwards. This submarine landslide, actually called a turbidity current flowed more than 1,000 miles away from the earth’s epicenter at 57-80 meters per hour, that is 50-70 knots.
This led the way to many new discoveries and inventions. This opened doors to finding the latest in communication technology at the time, the transatlantic subsea cables. It is a submarine communication cable connecting one side of the Atlantic Ocean to the other. As a result of the incident mentioned, a total of 12 cables broke out of which it snapped in 28 places.
Some of the breaks happened breaks happened synchronously with the earthquake but the rest happened over a longer time ranging from 59 minutes after the incident over 500 km away from the epicenter.
There is a lot to learn and know when it comes to deep seas and how they lie in equilibrium amidst all poor activities, it’s fascinating.
