Could Seismic Signals from Earthquakes Mask the Signals of an Underground Explosion?

Locations of target sources, background seismicity, and NVAR seismic array sensor locations used in study.

24 April 2025—Could the seismic signal of an underground nuclear test explosion be “hidden” by the signal generated by a natural earthquake? It’s possible, according to a new review article published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America that contradicts the conventional wisdom about explosion “masking.” The new … Continue Reading »

Clustering of Upper Plate and Subduction Earthquakes at New Zealand’s Southern Hikurangi Margin

photo of Wellington Fault Scarplet sign in New Zealand

1 April 2025—More than half of the earthquakes sampled at the subduction interface at the southern Hikurangi margin in Aotearoa-New Zealand cluster in time with earthquakes on three upper plate faults, according to a new analysis. The study published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America will help … Continue Reading »

Groundwater Depletion May Have Been Significant Trigger for 2023 Morocco Earthquake

building rubble from 2023 Al Haouz Morocco earthquake in_Tizi_NTest

24 December 2024–The rapid, decade-long depletion of groundwater in Morocco’s Haouz plain may have affected the accumulation of tectonic stress that led to the deadly 8 September 2023 magnitude 6.8 Al Haouz earthquake, according to a new study published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. Bhaskar Kundu … Continue Reading »

Precariously Balanced Rocks in New York, Vermont Provide Limits on Earthquake Shaking

10 September 2024–Five boulders, delivered by glacier and balancing delicately on rocky pedestals in northern New York and Vermont, can help define long-term maximum shaking intensity of earthquakes in the region. Seismologists examine the fragility of precariously balanced rocks, or PBRs, to determine the intensity of shaking would be needed … Continue Reading »

In-Building Data from Small to Moderate Earthquakes Can Help Predict Structural Response

Grenoble City Hall building

15 August 2024–Data recorded by seismic instrumentation in buildings where ground motion is weak to moderate can help engineers better understand structural responses to earthquakes, according to a new paper published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. Philippe Guéguen and Ariana Astorga at Université Grenoble Alpes – … Continue Reading »