Advanced modeling uncovers seamounts as the source of Japan’s tsunami earthquakes

Advanced modeling uncovers seamounts as the source of Japan’s tsunami earthquakes

A recent study challenges the prevailing hypothesis that subducted seamounts are weakly coupled and slide aseismically, suggesting instead that they act as strong asperities causing significant earthquakes. Through modeling and analysis, researchers have debunked the weak asperity model, providing a new explanation for the source of historical tsunami earthquakes along the southern Japan Trench, including the 1677 M8.3–8.6 Enpo Boso-oki event.

Study unlocks clues to tectonic plate behavior between major quakes

Study unlocks clues to tectonic plate behavior between major quakes

Researchers from Penn State and Brown University have uncovered how rocks from ancient subduction zones can forecast tectonic behaviors between significant earthquakes, enhancing our ability to predict such natural disasters.

How ultralow frictional healing could help predict large earthquakes

How ultralow frictional healing could help predict large earthquakes

A new study published in the journal Science could be a game-changer in the field of seismology, as researchers have discovered a potential missing piece in the puzzle of predicting earthquakes. The study suggests that ultralow frictional healing, a common physical phenomenon, could be crucial in understanding when and how violently faults move. While it won’t enable scientists to forecast the next big earthquake, it could be a valuable new way to investigate the causes and potential for large, damaging earthquakes.

Predicting earthquakes using ionospheric total electron content anomalies- study

Predicting earthquakes using ionospheric total electron content anomalies- study

A new study published recently in Remote Sensing proposes the implementation of machine learning support vector machine (SVM) technique, applied with GPS ionospheric total electron content (TEC) pre-processed time series estimations, to evaluate potential precursors caused by earthquakes.

Mysterious global tsunami in 2021 caused by hidden M8.2 earthquake

Mysterious global tsunami in 2021 caused by hidden M8.2 earthquake

Scientists have uncovered the source of a mysterious 2021 tsunami that sent waves around the globe in August 2021 when a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit near the South Sandwich Islands. The epicenter was 47 km (29 miles) below the Earth’s surface — too deep…

World’s longest recorded earthquake lasted for 32 years

World’s longest recorded earthquake lasted for 32 years

The devastating M8.5 earthquake that shook Sumatra, Indonesia, in 1861 was long believed to be a sudden rupture on a previously quiescent fault. However, new research showed that tectonic plates below the island had been slowly crashing against each other for 32…

Study reveals inner workings of slow-slip earthquakes

Study reveals inner workings of slow-slip earthquakes

Slow-slip earthquakes have been detected at many earthquake hotspots in the world, including areas around the Pacific Ring of Fire, but it remains unclear as to how they are linked to the damaging quakes that take place there. In a new study, researchers at The…