Advancing earthquake science worldwide
20 November 2019–The terms may seem interchangeable to a layperson, but “hazard” and “risk” mean very different things in earthquake science. A seismic hazard is a natural phenomenon such as the level of ground shaking caused by an earthquake. Seismic risk, on the other hand, refers to the probability that … Continue Reading »
16 September 2019–Earthquake faults have short memories—or at least, that’s what the traditional earthquake cycle model suggests. Based on the elastic rebound theory proposed by Harry Fielding Reid after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the traditional model assumes that each earthquake in an area occurs independently of one another, and … Continue Reading »
Despite growing up in Homer, Alaska, perched above the ruptured fault of the 1964 M9.2 earthquake, Kasey Aderhold didn’t initially consider a career in the geosciences. “I focused on the many other coastal fascinations that Homer provided, such as whales and estuarine ecology,” she says. But after moving to Indiana … Continue Reading »
When an earthquake occurs, seismic waves travel throughout the Earth. As they encounter material of different rigidity, however, they slow down or change direction. By mapping out where this happens, scientists can create images of the structures and processes within the deep Earth – a technique known as global tomography. … Continue Reading »
On 30 November 2018, users of the LastQuake app received notifications on their phones and computers—an M7.0 earthquake had just struck Alaska. Upon clicking the notification, they were taken to a page with maps, data and comments from those who felt the quake. Within seconds, they knew exactly where and … Continue Reading »
Gaining insight into where earthquake aftershocks might occur is a long-standing challenge in earthquake science, especially as some aftershocks can approach the size of the mainshock earthquake and can damage buildings and roads already weakened by the main earthquake. Phoebe Robinson DeVries and her coauthors are pursuing one way to … Continue Reading »