Researchers could soon gain new insights into fault development in Earth’s brittle crust, thanks to a computational approach that harnesses experimental observations of microscale rock damage.
Earth’s crust
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Ancient Crustal Weaknesses Contribute to Modern Earthquakes in West Africa
Researchers dive into the mechanisms and stresses that trigger earthquakes along the passive margin and interior of the continent.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Mantle Movements Shape Earth’s Surface
Two new data sets help researchers tease apart the influences of plate tectonics and mantle movement on surface topography.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mantle Heat May Have Boosted Earth’s Crust 3 Billion Years Ago
Information from igneous zircon molecules gives researchers new insight into the workings of inner Earth.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Hydraulic Fractures Are Lazy
The layering of rock masses can help constrain and focus the growth of hydraulic fractures.
Posted inNews
From First Continents to Fancy Countertops
A new study suggests melting gabbros may have helped form Earth’s first continents, riling a long-standing debate.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
A Strong Pacific Plate Bends Under the Hawaiian Volcanic Chain
Two seismic studies reveal the volcanic loads and resulting flexure of the Pacific plate at the Hawaiian Ridge and, surprisingly, show no magmatic underplating.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Illuminating the Complex Structural Fabric Beneath the European Alps
A new study investigates the dynamics of the complex continental collision that formed the European Alps and reveals how structural alignments change with depth.
Posted inNews
Flowing Crust Pushes Faults on Their Backs
Puzzlingly shallow faults in western Türkiye are likely getting a boost from below.
Posted inFeatures
The 2023 Türkiye-Syria Earthquakes Shifted Stress in the Crust
In February, a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the eastern Mediterranean, triggering a second major jolt and a cascade of aftershocks.