Rocks stretch, break, and flow, depending on how and under which conditions they are loaded. A new formulation to better capture Earth’s rheology is explored in the context of plate thickness.
Lithosphere
Strain Rate: The Overlooked Control on Earthquake Depth
Regional strain rate may play as significant a role as temperature in governing the depth distribution of earthquakes in mantle lithosphere.
Revealing the Arctic Crust
A new model, ArcCRUST, reveals with unprecedent resolution the geometry and the thermal state of the oceanic crust of the High Arctic and Circum-Arctic domain.
Deciphering the Fate of Plunging Tectonic Plates in Borneo
What happens when subduction stops? A team of scientists installed a dense seismic network in Borneo to investigate causes and consequences of subduction termination.
Extending Recent Seismic Imaging Successes to South America
Ambient Noise Tomography Workshop (MIMOSA); Tucson, Arizona, 17–23 January 2016
A Hole in Earth’s Surface
Research shows that a broken lithosphere underneath the island of Hawai'i could explain the island's patterns of seismic activity.
Aftershocks of Old Quakes Still Shake New Madrid Seismic Zone
Geodetic data show that earthquakes in 1450 and 1811–1812 may be responsible for present-day seismic activity in the region.