What causes slow earthquakes in subduction zones? New insights from numerical models suggest that a mixture of strong and weak rocks might be the cause.
seismology
Posted inFeatures
Ten Years on from the Quake That Shook the Nation’s Capital
A decade of study into the Virginia earthquake that damaged D.C. and reverberated up and down the Atlantic coast in 2011 has shed light on rare, but risk-laden, seismicity in eastern North America.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
First Report of Seismicity That Initiated in the Lower Mantle
A 4D back-projection method revealed that aftershocks of the 2015 earthquake beneath the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands occurred as deep as about 750 kilometers.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Improved Seismic Imaging Via Optimal Transport Theory
Seismic waveform inversion is inherently non-linear. New objective functions based on optimal transport theory mitigate nonlinearity yielding stable solutions without need for accurate initial models.
Posted inNews
Persiguiendo magma por la península de Reykjanes en Islandia
La Oficina Meteorológica de Islandia ha estado rastreando la agitación cerca de la erupción de Fagradalsfjall desde diciembre de 2019, mientras que investigadores en otros lugares exploran nuevos métodos para ver los enjambres sísmicos de Islandia.
Posted inFeatures
Deploying a Submarine Seismic Observatory in the Furious Fifties
Our crew braved rough Southern Ocean seas, endured pandemic precautions, and adapted plans on the fly for the chance to observe a possible subduction zone in the making below the Macquarie Ridge.
Posted inScience Updates
Seafloor Seismometers Look for Clues to North Atlantic Volcanism
Did the mantle plume that fuels Iceland’s volcanoes today cause eruptions in Ireland and Great Britain long ago? A new project investigates, while also inspiring students and recording whale songs.
Posted inNews
Chasing Magma Around Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula
The Icelandic Meteorological Office has been tracking unrest near erupting Fagradalsfjall since December 2019, while researchers elsewhere explore new methods to see Iceland’s seismic swarms.
Posted inNews
Monitoring Seismic Vibrations During a Pandemic
Researchers in Spain monitored variations in seismic noise across Barcelona as the city locked down during the pandemic, clarifying the seismic band associated with human activity.
Posted inScience Updates
Slipping and Locking in Earth’s Earthquake Factories
Geodetic observations collected during back-to-back decadal research campaigns have revealed crucial new insights into the start–stop and slow-motion behavior of subduction zones.