Advancing earthquake science worldwide
1 December 2020–A rupture along the full length of the fast-slipping Alpine Fault on New Zealand’s South Island poses the largest potential seismic threat to the southern and central parts of the country. But new evidence of a 19th century earthquake indicates that in at least one portion of the … 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 »
4 November 2020–An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or larger will almost always cause strong shaking, but a new study suggests that smaller earthquakes—those around magnitude 5.5 or so–are the cause of most occurrences of strong shaking at a 60-kilometer (37-mile) distance. Small earthquakes are expected to produce relatively weak shaking, … Continue Reading »
30 October 2020–The Seismological Society of America (SSA) announced today the appointment of Keith Koper, professor and director of Seismograph Stations at the University of Utah, as the first editor-in-chief of The Seismic Record (TSR). The Seismic Record is an open access, online only journal, publishing high-quality short form papers … Continue Reading »
20 October 2020–A paleoseismic trench dug across the Gales Creek fault, located about 35 kilometers (roughly 22 miles) west of Portland, Oregon, documents evidence for three surface-rupturing earthquakes that took place about 8,800, 4,200 and 1,000 years ago. The findings, published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, … 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 »