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Distributed vibration sensing, also known as distributed acoustic sensing, is a relatively new method for recording vertical seismic profile data using a fibre optic cable as the sensor. The signal obtained from such systems is a distributed measurement over a length of fibre referred to as the gauge length. In this paper, we show that gauge length selection is one of the most important acquisition parameters for a distributed vibration sensing survey. If the gauge length is too small, then the signal‐to‐noise ratio will be poor. If the gauge length is too large, resolution will be reduced and the shape of the wavelet will be distorted. The optimum gauge length, as derived here, is a function of the velocity and frequencies of the seismic waves being measured. If these attributes vary considerably over the depth of a survey, then the use of different gauge lengths is recommended. The significant increases in data quality resulting from the use of multiple gauge length values are demonstrated using field data.

Fault rock assemblages reflect interaction between deformation, stress, temperature, fluid, and chemical regimes on distinct spatial and temporal scales at various positions in the crust. Here we interpret measurements made in the hanging‐wall of the Alpine Fault during the second stage of the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP‐2). We present observational evidence for extensive fracturing and high hanging‐wall hydraulic conductivity (∼10−9 to 10−7 m/s, corresponding to permeability of ∼10−16 to 10−14 m2) extending several hundred meters from the fault's principal slip zone. Mud losses, gas chemistry anomalies, and petrophysical data indicate that a subset of fractures intersected by the borehole are capable of transmitting fluid volumes of several cubic meters on time scales of hours. DFDP‐2 observations and other data suggest that this hydrogeologically active portion of the fault zone in the hanging‐wall is several kilometers wide in the uppermost crust. This finding is consistent with numerical models of earthquake rupture and off‐fault damage. We conclude that the mechanically and hydrogeologically active part of the Alpine Fault is a more dynamic and extensive feature than commonly described in models based on exhumed faults. We propose that the hydrogeologically active damage zone of the Alpine Fault and other large active faults in areas of high topographic relief can be subdivided into an inner zone in which damage is controlled principally by earthquake rupture processes and an outer zone in which damage reflects coseismic shaking, strain accumulation and release on interseismic timescales, and inherited fracturing related to exhumation.

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