Advancing earthquake science worldwide
This category is for the At Work column
15 January 2021–In applied geophysics, studying the movements of the Earth goes far beyond the seismic signatures of natural earthquakes. During his career, Jonathan Ajo-Franklin has worked on permafrost, CO2 storage, geothermal energy, aquifer systems and more. “My interests always lie in the intersection between what people do to the … Continue Reading »
16 December 2020–Big earthquakes may grab the headlines, but for Takahiko Uchide, the small events are just as interesting. For one thing, studying small earthquakes is a good way to learn about the physical properties of underground faults at a fine scale, he says. “Earthquakes reflect factors including the applied … Continue Reading »
16 November 2020–Costa Rica is home to about 15,000 earthquakes a year, and its citizens are well-educated when it comes to the science behind all the seismic activity, says Esteban Chaves. “If you ask a Costa Rican where the subduction zone is, they are able to respond. Most of them … Continue Reading »
15 October 2020–The shape of the Earth may seem stable, but Virginia Tech geophysicist D. Sarah Stamps knows differently. She and her colleagues track its shifting shape millimeter by millimeter, quantifying the horizontal and vertical motions of the tectonic plates to get at the physics behind the plate motions. The … Continue Reading »
14 September 2020–In 2004, Brian Terbush climbed Mt. St. Helens in Washington State. The trip fueled his fascination with volcanoes, and he “jumped on the chance” to go to graduate school to study them further. “I’ve been lucky to get to see lots of volcanoes erupting and get a little … Continue Reading »
17 August 2020–For decades, seismologists have contended with the background “hiss” of the Earth—seismic waves generated by the normal interaction of land, ocean and atmosphere. Their goal has been to find ways to subtract this “noise,” to concentrate on the seismicity generated by earthquakes. But one scientist’s noise is another’s … Continue Reading »