A stress meter for fault zones
For the first time, scientists from Rice University, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have measured - in the field rather than in the laboratory - how changes in stress in rocks affect changes in the speed of seismic waves at depths where earthquakes... view more... (2008-07-10)
Prelude to an Earthquake?
A geophysicist from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has identified possible seismic precursors to two recent California earthquakes, including the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that wreaked havoc throughout the Bay Area. view more (2005-12-12)
Researchers learn from analyses of rare tsunami earthquake
Analyses of a classic, slow-rupturing tsunami earthquake whose massive waves devastated the coast of Java, Indonesia, this past summer are providing insight to seismologists and engineers, who want to better understand these rare events, recommend strategies to improve safety and perhaps provide long-range forecasts of potential danger zones... view more... (2006-12-07)
Earthquakes in the sky
AN AFTERNOON shower in London may have more in common with an earthquake in California than you`d think, because both processes obey similar statistical rules. The scientists who discovered the link say thinking about rain as a kind of "earthquake in the sky" may help improve models of the weather. ... view more... (2002-05-01)
San Andreas earthquake observatory achieves milestone as drillers penetrate the active fault zone
The San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) reached a significant goal on Aug. 2 when scientists drilled into a seismically active section of the fault approximately two miles below the surface of the Earth. view more (2005-08-04)
Earthquakes Happen at Full Moon
Russian physicists have found that flashes of neutron radiation from the Earth surface are bound to increasing in seismic activity. They believe that this phenomenon can be used as a novel kind of earthquake foreboding. The researchers of the Department of Cosmic Radiation of the Research Institute of Nuclear Physics at Moscow State University... view more... (2001-02-02)
Sumatra megaquake defied theory
The risks of Sumatra-style mega-quakes around the world have been sorely misjudged, say earth scientists who are re-examining some of the pre-December 2004 assumptions scientists made about such rare events. view more (2006-03-28)
Big quakes spark jolts worldwide
Until 1992, when California's magnitude-7.3 Landers earthquake set off small jolts as far away as Yellowstone National Park, scientists did not believe large earthquakes sparked smaller tremors at distant locations. view more (2008-05-27)
Pacific Northwest tectonic plates are moving
he three major tectonic plates off the Pacific Northwest coast are undergoing a gradual shift, and the area in which they converge - popularly known as the "Triple Junction" - appears to be migrating in a southeasterly direction. view more (2006-04-12)
Supercomputer Unleashes Virtual 9.0 Megaquake in Pacific Northwest
On January 26, 1700, at about 9 p.m. local time, the Juan de Fuca plate beneath the ocean in the Pacific Northwest suddenly moved, slipping some 60 feet eastward beneath the North American plate in a monster quake of approximately magnitude 9, setting in motion large tsunamis that struck the coast of North America and traveled to the shores of... view more... (2008-02-27)
University of Nevada scientists gauge earthquake hazards through study of precariously balance rocks
A seismological research team from the University of Nevada, Reno is finding ways to make precariously balanced rocks talk. In so doing, they are unlocking valuable scientific information in assessing seismic hazards in areas throughout the West. view more (2007-03-01)
Stalagmites May Predict Next Big One along the New Madrid Seismic Zone
Small white stalagmites lining caves in the Midwest may help scientists chronicle the history of the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) - and even predict when the next big earthquake may strike. view more (2008-09-26)
How is that whale listening?
Researchers from San Diego State University and the University of California have been using computer models to mimic the effects of underwater noise on an unusual whale species and have discovered a new pathway for sound entering the head and ears. view more (2008-02-04)
Deadly mine 'bump' was recorded as seismic event
The University of Utah Seismograph Stations recorded a magnitude-1.6 seismic event at the time of a Thursday, Aug. 16 "bump" that killed and injured rescuers at a Utah coal mine where six miners were trapped by an Aug. 6 collapse. view more (2007-08-20)
Journey to the center of the Earth -- Imperial scientists explain tectonic plate motions
The first direct evidence of how and when tectonic plates move into the deepest reaches of the Earth is published in Nature today. Scientists hope their description of how plates collide with one sliding below the other into the rocky mantle could potentially improve their ability to assess earthquake risks. view more (2008-02-22)
Unearthing explanations for New Madrid earthquakes
On Dec. 16, 1811, residents of New Madrid, Mo., were wrested from sleep by violent shaking and a deafening roar. A short time later, church bells hundreds of miles away in Boston began to ring. view more (2006-02-21)
Successful completion of first riser-drilling operations in earthquake zone
Kumano Basin off Kii Peninsula, approximately 58 km southeast of Japan- Despite harsh weather and ocean conditions, and complex geological characteristics of its drill site, the deep-sea drilling vessel CHIKYU, for the first time in the history of scientific ocean drilling, conducted riser-drilling operations to drill successfully down to a depth... view more... (2009-07-31)
'Ultrasound' of Earth's crust reveals inner workings of a tsunami factory
Research announced this week by a team of U.S. and Japanese geoscientists may help explain why part of the seafloor near the southwest coast of Japan is particularly good at generating devastating tsunamis, such as the 1944 Tonankai event, which killed at least 1,200 people. The findings will help scientists assess the risk of giant tsunamis in... view more... (2007-11-16)
Deep-ocean drilling researchers target earthquake and tsunami zone
Researchers fresh from an eight-week scientific drilling expedition off the Pacific coast of Japan today reported their discovery of strong variation in the tectonic stresses in a region notorious for generating devastating earthquakes and tsunamis, the Nankai Trough. view more (2007-12-13)
Tremors on southern San Andreas Fault may mean increased earthquake risk
Increases in mysterious underground tremors observed in several active earthquake fault zones around the world could signal a build-up of stress at locked segments of the faults and presumably an increased likelihood of a major quake, according to a new University of California, Berkeley, study. view more (2009-07-10)
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