Articles tagged with Geophysics
A comprehensive review of ultrasonic measurements assesses cement bond quality in wells. Recent advances include high-resolution insight into casing-cement interfaces using pulse-echo and pitch-catch techniques.
Researchers confirm that a 30-meter-thick layer of soft and slippery pelagic clay at the Japan Trench enabled the earthquake to rupture all the way to the trench, producing a massive tsunami. The discovery sheds new light on why the 2011 earthquake behaved so differently from predicted models.
Researchers find ocean sediment supply crucial for salt marshes to keep pace with rising seas. Southern New England marshes are showing signs of stress due to declining coastal sediment supply.
A new study reveals that Southeast Asia is a significant source of climate-warming gases, with deforestation and fossil fuel use leading the way. The region's natural carbon sinks are being overwhelmed, making it challenging for countries to reach climate neutrality without urgent regional action.
New research using earthquake and satellite data reveals the Iberian Peninsula is rotating clockwise due to collision between Eurasia and Africa plates. The study provides insights into geodynamic processes and deformation fields in the region.
Researchers found that coral reefs governed the pace of climate recovery by tuning the planet's carbon and climate cycles. The study suggests that reefs played a crucial role in stabilizing climate, but modern reef systems are declining due to warming and ocean acidification.
Researchers found three major vent areas aligned with active fault zones, controlled by the island's tectonic fabric. The discovery establishes Milos as a natural laboratory for studying hydrothermal activity, volcanism, and tectonics.
Researchers have discovered that tidal heating can cause ice shells to melt, leading to ocean boiling and unique geological features. The process can also drive compressional tectonics, shaping the surface of icy moons.
Scientists at NJIT's Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research tracked the impact of recent X-class solar flares on Earth's upper atmosphere. The flares triggered radio blackouts across Africa and Europe, producing auroras that reached unusually low latitudes, including as far south as Florida.
A massive swarm of earthquakes in 2025 was triggered by pulses of magma tunneling far below the seafloor, according to a new study. The findings provide a detailed look at a 'pumping' magmatic dike in action and offer insights into more reliable eruption forecasting.
Scientists use XL-Calibur telescope to measure polarization of light around Cygnus X-1 black hole, gaining insights into matter's fall and energy release. The observations will be used to test computer simulations and shed light on black hole physics.
A team of scientists discovered a unique radio emission, the hectometric continuum, that appears after sunset and disappears before sunrise. This phenomenon is linked to processes in the near-Earth plasma and may be related to exoplanetary magnetic fields.
Researchers have discovered that sudden shifts in the Southern Westerly Winds 15,000 years ago triggered a massive growth of ancient bogs across the Southern Hemisphere. The study found that the shifting winds created an ideal climate for the swamps to form, and now believe they play a crucial role in regulating carbon stores in peatland.
Hongfeng Yang has been appointed as the first deputy editor-in-chief of Seismological Research Letters (SRL), a journal published by the Seismological Society of America. Yang brings over a decade of editorial experience and fresh ideas to promote SRL's growth.
Machine learning models detected subtle signals that emerge just before the onset of laboratory earthquakes. The key predictive factor is the evolution of shear stress on creeping regions of the fault.
Researchers found that Kīlauea's magma system started behaving anomalously about a year before the 2018 eruption, suggesting a blockage formed between the volcano's summit magma reservoirs. Continuous monitoring data accumulated, gaining insights into Kīlauea's inner workings and its long-term behavior.
Researchers propose a new mechanism for magma bubble nucleation driven by mechanical energy from shear forces. The study found that viscous shear can supply the energy needed to trigger bubble formation, contradicting traditional views on decompression-induced nucleation.
Researchers found extreme warming of Amazon lakes in 2023, with water temperatures soaring above 40°C and lake levels plummeting to record lows. The study highlights the vulnerability of tropical lakes to intense warming and calls for better monitoring of these ecosystems under climate change.
Scientists have developed computer models to predict the spreading of saltwater in soils, like in southern Australia's Murray–Darling River. This helps manage river water quality while increasing ground salinity.
A new study on the March 2025 Mandalay earthquake reveals that an unusually thick, low-velocity fault zone enabled a supershear rupture to sustain for hundreds of kilometers. This behavior often occurs on simple, straight faults like the San Andreas and Sagaing faults.
Experimental tests demonstrate that interactions between magma oceans and primitive atmospheres during early years can produce significant amounts of water. This process has major implications for the physical and chemical properties of planets' interiors, with potential effects on core development and atmospheric composition.
A study reveals how plate tectonics reshaped the planet, triggering conditions for oxygen-rich oceans and eukaryote evolution. The findings link deep-Earth dynamics to near-surface geochemical and biological evolution, offering a unifying framework.
A new study reveals that Madagascar's striking landscape was shaped by two great rifting events, separated by nearly 80 million years. These tectonic shifts created fragmented environments where species evolved independently, contributing to the island's extraordinary biodiversity.
New research reveals Greenland is shrinking slightly, but expanding in some regions, due to accelerated melting and prehistoric ice mass movements. The island's horizontal movements are being pulled in different directions, with areas of expansion and contraction observed.
Researchers develop geophysical-machine learning tool that estimates soil strength parameters using limited borehole data, enabling continuous subsurface characterization. The approach reduces the need for expensive and time-consuming drilling in challenging terrains.
Researchers from Poland, USA, and Slovenia found a mathematical description of stalagmite shapes, revealing that shape matters for climate science. The study provides an analytical solution for the growth of ideal stalagmites in constant cave conditions.
Researchers found that methane, ethane, and hydrogen cyanide can interact in ways previously thought impossible, expanding our understanding of chemistry before life emerged. This discovery has implications for the origin of life on Earth and may shed light on similar conditions in other cold environments in space.
Researchers measured methane and ethane concentrations in Osaka using mobile measurements and found a discrepancy between observed emissions and official estimates. Several areas of elevated methane concentrations were detected, attributed to various overlooked contributors such as industrial plants, restaurants, and biological sources.
A Rutgers study reveals that modern sea level rise is happening faster than at any time in the past 4,000 years, posing a significant risk to China's coastal cities. The team examined geological records and found that the global mean sea level rise rate since 1900 exceeds any century-long period in the past four millennia.
Scientists have detected tremor signals at the Oldoinyo Lengai volcano in Tanzania, revealing details about magma movement and volcanic activity. The findings provide valuable insights into the dynamics of magma movement and offer a step forward for volcano seismology.
Researchers found similarities in timing and structure of turbidite layers in cores from both fault systems, suggesting seismic synchronization between Cascadia and San Andreas faults. The study, led by Chris Goldfinger, suggests that earthquakes on one fault could draw down resources across the country.
Researchers at Tohoku University found that kink bands in rock layers exhibit strengthening rather than weakening under compressive forces, contradicting previous assumptions. The rank-1 connection ensures smooth continuity between deformed regions, leading to increased material strength.
A study by University at Buffalo researchers reveals that some elements' semicore electrons can participate in bonding under just a few gigapascals of pressure, far lower than previously thought. This finding challenges traditional notions of core electron behavior and may have implications for our understanding of planetary evolution.
A recently discovered chain of events in a Chilean earthquake was found to have supercharged its strength, breaching temperatures above 650 degrees Celsius and leading to increased shaking. The study's findings have implications for future earthquake hazard assessments and could support emergency response and long-term planning.
Researchers discover that asthenosphere composition controls magma flux and spreading mode at slow- to ultraslow-spreading ridges. The study found higher volumes of ancient refractory mantle domains in the asthenosphere during asymmetric spreading, supporting the hypothesis that the asthenosphere modulates magma flux.
Gordon's pioneering work revealed diffuse plate boundaries and true polar wander, advancing fundamental understanding of tectonic plates. He also developed widely used global plate motion models, including NUVEL and MORVEL.
Sylvia Dee, a Rice University climatologist, has been awarded the 2025 Nanne Weber Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union. Dee's research focuses on paleoclimate and climate dynamics, with an emphasis on understanding how natural variability interacts with human-induced climate change.
Carrie Masiello, Rice University professor, has been elected an American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fellow for her groundbreaking work on global carbon cycling and climate solutions. Her research has led to the development of new tools to measure physical and chemical properties of the Earth.
A new study suggests that water, even heavy rainfall, can play a role in or trigger seismic events, improving models of seismic activity. The research also helps identify optimal sites for drilling to tap sources of supercritical geothermal energy.
Researchers at MIT have traced the energy released by 'lab quakes' and found that 80% of a quake's energy goes into heating up the region around the epicenter, while only 10% causes physical shaking. The study's findings could help seismologists predict earthquake vulnerability in regions prone to seismic events.
A University of Michigan study reveals that the sudden loss of dinosaurs allowed forests to flourish, stabilizing sediments and creating broad meanders in rivers. This change had a profound impact on landscapes, demonstrating how life can alter its environment through catastrophic events.
A research team from HKUST developed a novel AI-powered tool named STIMP for diagnosing coastal ocean productivity and ecosystem health. The tool significantly outperformed existing geoscience tools in tests across four global coastal regions.
The new textbook bridges the gap between traditional divisions in teaching and practicing tectonics, seismology, geodesy, and geodynamics. It provides a basis to explore fundamental connections between the planet's deep interior and surface.
Researchers used AI to identify four times more earthquakes than earlier tools and pinpoint previously unknown faults in the region. The study expands seismicity recorded by monitoring stations from 2022 to 2025, revealing two faults converging under the town of Pozzuoli west of Naples.
Researchers used a Taylor Swift concert as a unique opportunity to study seismic activity and engage the public in science. The 'SwiftQuake' was detected more than 100km away from the stadium, showcasing how cultural events can enhance scientific understanding.
Researchers have made a breakthrough in understanding post-seismic velocity changes by studying the effects of friction at grain contacts. The team found that contact sliding and aging are responsible for these time-dependent changes in wave velocities.
A new study of Martian seismic data collected by NASA's InSight mission reveals a highly heterogeneous and disordered mantle on Mars, born from ancient impacts and chaotic convection. The findings offer an unprecedented window into the geological history and thermochemical evolution of a terrestrial planet under a stagnant lid.
Researchers at Princeton University found that major tropical eruptions create distinct flooding patterns depending on plume location and dispersal. The patterns mostly divide along the line of the equator, with increased rainfall in the tropics in one hemisphere and decreased flooding.
Researchers have confirmed the existence of hidden motions in granular materials like soil and snow, which can control their movement. This discovery could help understand how landslides and avalanches work, as well as benefit industries such as construction and grain filling.
A new large-scale open dataset of Asia's terrestrial ecosystems is now available, providing a long-awaited foundation for understanding the region's role in the global carbon cycle. The JapanFlux2024 dataset combines 683 site-years of eddy covariance data from 83 locations across Japan and neighboring regions.
Researchers have found that stylolites in limestone rock samples disrupt sound wave propagation, particularly affecting secondary waves that form due to scattering. This discovery has implications for monitoring hydraulic fracture propagation in rock samples containing stylolites.
The magnitude 7.7 Myanmar earthquake had the highest recorded rupture velocity, exceeding 5.3 km/s, a phenomenon known as supershear propagation. This was confirmed by analysis of satellite images and seismic station recordings.
Rice University geophysicist Richard Gordon has been honored with the Geological Society of America's Woollard Award for his transformative work on global plate motions and plate boundary deformation. He is recognized for shedding light on diffuse oceanic plate boundaries, true polar wander, and standard global plate motion models.
Researchers used large-scale simulations to reproduce near-Earth space environment, confirming opposite charge polarities between regions. Plasma motion explains the reversal in equatorial plane.
A team of geophysicists from ETH Zurich and SUSTech, China, used computer models to simulate whether a completely liquid core could generate a stable magnetic field. Their simulations showed that the Earth's magnetic field was generated in the early history of the Earth in a similar way to today.
Researchers found that ground acceleration from moonquakes can shift lunar landscapes and threaten stability of future missions. The study assesses damage risk using new models of quakes and finds a one in 20 million chance of a potentially damaging moonquake occurring near an active fault.
The German Research Foundation has awarded the Bernd Rendel Prize to two early geoscience researchers, Katharina Seeger and Taina Marcos Lima Pinho, for their original and promising pre-doctoral research. The prize aims to support their pursuit of academic activities.
A large region of unusually hot rock deep beneath the Appalachian Mountains in the United States could be linked to Greenland and North America splitting apart 80 million years ago. The 'mantle wave' theory suggests that hot, dense rock slowly peels away from the base of tectonic plates after continents break apart.
The University of Tokyo researchers developed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can withstand ocean currents and wind, enabling the acquisition of reliable seafloor measurements. The system achieved a horizontal root mean square error of approximately 1–2 cm, comparable to existing vessel-based systems.
Researchers propose using soft X-rays to measure reconnection rates and monitor space weather. By analyzing bright X-ray features, they calculated a global reconnection rate of 0.13, closely matching theoretical predictions.