January 30, 2019
Thirsty mantle: Subduction zones swallow more water than thought
For all the water stored in oceans, ice and other reservoirs at Earth’s surface, there’s likely even more in the planet’s interior, where it …
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Seismology
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57 articles · Page 1 of 3
January 17, 2019
Seismometers eavesdrop on glacial outburst flood
On July 5, 2016, a previously dammed glacial moraine in Nepal burst, releasing 100,000 tons of water that barreled down the Sunkoshi River, …
January 11, 2019
Sounding Out Earth's Hum
Earth has a song, a symphony composed of ubiquitous, continuous subtle seismic signals that thrum beneath the hustle and bustle of modern …
August 3, 2018
New measurement shakes up earthquake estimates
As tectonic plates collide and sink in subduction zones, huge megathrust earthquakes can produce devastation above. Yet, there are many unknown …
July 3, 2018
Seismic waves are blind to water
Geoscientists use the seismic waves produced by earthquakes to image the internal structure of the planet. Some seismic waves travel through …
June 5, 2018
Yellowstone's Mexican mantle plume
The volcanic activity at Yellowstone National Park is impressive, with thousands of active thermal features dotting a nearly …
April 3, 2018
Earth's "hum" heard at ocean bottom
Lapping waves or crashing surf may come to mind for most people when they imagine the sounds of the ocean. But the ocean has other voices as …
March 19, 2018
Measuring earthquakes using fiber-optic cables
Fiber-optic cables crisscross the world, ferrying digital data and enabling internet access and telecommunication. In a new study, published in …
December 14, 2017
New Zealand quake triggers two large slow-slip events
On Nov. 14, 2016, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck near Kaikoura on New Zealand’s South Island, setting off a cascade of fault ruptures in the …
November 15, 2017
Seismic patterns help forecast eruptions from quiet stratovolcanoes
Earth is home to more than 1,500 potentially eruptive volcanoes on land, each with a unique character and history. Predicting when and how a …
November 9, 2017
Imaging Iceland's volcanic roots
Home to more than 30 active volcanoes, Iceland is one of the most vigorous volcanic settings on Earth. A new look at the core-mantle boundary …
November 8, 2017
Desktop seismology: How a maker-inspired device is changing seismic monitoring
Earth groans and shimmies constantly, producing everything from occasional building-collapsing earthquakes to subtle shaking humans don’t even …
November 15, 2016
Small-scale factors influence mantle flow under the seafloor
In December 2011, scientists and technicians aboard the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth dropped several ocean-bottom seismometers into the …
August 16, 2016
Firefighting gets a leg up from earthquake sensor networks
Seismic networks monitor ground motion in earthquake-prone regions like California and Nevada. Now, they may also help combat other natural …
August 1, 2016
Benchmarks: May 15, 1909: The Northern Great Plains earthquake
In Culbertson, Mont., at a quarter past nine on a Saturday evening, Ralph Bush and H.G. Walsh were resting in the third-floor apartment of the …
March 22, 2016
Going with the flow: Mapping the mantle under the Cascadia Subduction Zone
The Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ), off the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States and Canada, is one of the world’s most mysterious — and …
January 7, 2016
How deep do the Alps go?
Continental crust was long thought to be too buoyant to subduct into the mantle, unlike denser oceanic crust, which descends into the mantle in …
September 3, 2015
Vital seconds: The journey toward earthquake early warning for all
It is a cool foggy morning in San Mateo, Calif. A small ray of light has just peeked through my window. I listen to the birds chirping as I …
August 21, 2015
Seismometers listen for falling rocks
Scores of natural rockfalls occur in California’s Yosemite Valley every year, often with little or no advance warning, posing hazards to people …
July 16, 2015
Stalled slabs sometimes stopped by mineral strengthening
Subduction of tectonic plates into the mantle functions as an eons-long recycling system for Earth’s crust and lithosphere. But in some …
June 16, 2015
Introducing Earth's inner inner core
A humongous hunk of iron — that’s how scientists have long thought of Earth’s solid inner core. But new research suggests there’s more to it than …
January 30, 2015
March 29, 1936: Notes on Earth's Inner Core
On March 29, 1936, Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann wrote a letter to a colleague in which she argued that seismic waves — specifically P-waves — …
December 17, 2014
Hazard lingers after South Napa earthquake
San Francisco — The magnitude-6 earthquake that shook buildings and rattled wineries in California’s Napa Valley on Aug. 24, 2014, continues to …
August 29, 2014
Santiaguito Volcano's clockwork behavior provides an exceptional laboratory
If Earth breathes, Santiaguito Volcano in the Western Highlands of Guatemala could be its mouth. Roughly every half hour, like volcanic …