Study shows ground may start ‘wobbling’ months prior to a giant earthquake

Study shows ground may start ‘wobbling’ months prior to a giant earthquake

A new study by an international team of geoscientists shows that a strange reversal of ground motion occurred prior to two of the biggest earthquakes in history– the M8.8 great Maule quake in 2010 and the M9 Tohoku-Oki quake in 2011, which triggered a catastrophic…

Study shows seasonal factors can affect earthquake impact

Study shows seasonal factors can affect earthquake impact

A new study concludes that the season in which earthquake happens can affect the impact of ground failure and potential destruction. The paper, published in Seismological Research Letters journal, said the 1887 Magnitude 7.3 Verny earthquake and the nearby 1911…

REEF – A new measure of earthquake ruptures

REEF – A new measure of earthquake ruptures

A team of seismologists has developed a new measurement of seismic energy release that can be applied to large earthquakes. Called the Radiated Energy Enhancement Factor (REEF), it provides a measure of earthquake rupture complexity that better captures variations…

Distant earthquakes can cause underwater landslides

Distant earthquakes can cause underwater landslides

New research finds large earthquakes can trigger underwater landslides thousands of miles away, weeks or months after the quake occurs. Researchers analyzing data from ocean bottom seismometers off the Washington-Oregon coast tied a series of underwater landslides…

Tsunami study challenges long-held formation theory

Tsunami study challenges long-held formation theory

A new NASA study is challenging a long-held theory that tsunamis form and acquire their energy mostly from vertical movement of the seafloor. The study shows that horizontal seafloor movement also creates energy for tsunamis and further validates a GPS-based…

Study links big earthquakes to Earth-Moon-Sun alignments

Study links big earthquakes to Earth-Moon-Sun alignments

In a new study published in Nature Geoscience yesterday, Japanese researchers have found that many of the largest earthquakes occurred near the time of maximum tidal strain — or during new and full moons when the Sun, Moon, and Earth align. The possibility…