The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method for remotely sensing vibration includes transmitting a collection of optical pulses through an optical fiber at a predetermined frequency, detecting a collection of backscattered Rayleigh traces from the optical fiber based on a vibration of the optical fiber at a vibration frequency at a location along the optical fiber, determining a normalized differential trace based on the collection of Rayleigh traces, determining, based on the normalized differential trace, the location in the optical fiber of the vibration, and determining, based on the raw Rayleigh traces, the vibration frequency.