Laboratory experiments show similarities between glacier beds and tectonic faults.
earthquakes
Predicting the Next Big Frost Quake
Frost quakes occur in boreal regions when rapidly expanding ice underground causes frozen soils to fracture. A recent frost quake in Finland has given scientists a rare look into how they form.
Wildfires Threaten West Coast’s Seismic Network
A dense seismic network keeps vigil over the western United States, sensing quakes soon after they begin so people nearby can brace themselves. How do wildfires affect these guardians of the West Coast?
Groove is in the Fault
Rock sliding experiments on meter scales show groove patterns which are controlled by normal stress. This may help better understand earthquake source conditions from exhumed faults.
What Controls Giant Subduction Earthquakes?
Subduction zones with a low dipping angle and thick sediments can produce giant earthquakes; this finding lets researchers estimate worst-case scenarios for coastlines around the world.
Eruption Seismic Tremor Modeled as a Fluvial Process
Impact and turbulence models for river tremor are adapted and combined into a model that predicts the amplitude and frequency content of volcanic eruption tremor.
Southern California’s Crustal Motion Tells of Earthquake Hazards
Precise measurements of the Earth’s vertical surface motion help to elucidate the hazards of faults in an earthquake-prone region.
Ancient Ruins Reveal 8th Century Earthquake in Sea of Galilee
Research into past seismic activity shows northeast Israel is still vulnerable to large quakes.
Earthquakes Reveal How Quickly the Ocean Is Warming
By timing sound waves set in motion by earthquakes, scientists have estimated that the Indian Ocean is warming by roughly 0.044 K per decade.
Earthquake Hazard Hanging in the Balance
Earthquake hazard calculations for California’s coast are refined with a view of precariously balanced rocks that would have fallen if the largest predicted shaking happened in the past 20,000 years.