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Exploring Martian geothermal and liquid water potential with basin modeling Exploring Martian geothermal and liquid water potential with basin modeling

Assessing the potential for geothermal energy and liquid water presence in the Martian subsurface is crucial for future exploration and habitability studies. In this work, we employed comprehensive finite element model simulations adapted specifically for Martian conditions to estimate subsurface temperatures and the potential for liquid water at depth within Martian crater basins. Rock...
Authors
Rand Gardner, Justin E. Birdwell, Katherine L. French, Chris Okubo, Janet K. Pitman, Stanley T. Paxton, Jason A. Flaum

Summer snow determines the depth to ice-cemented ground under dry permafrost in Antarctica Summer snow determines the depth to ice-cemented ground under dry permafrost in Antarctica

Dry permafrost underlain by ice-cemented permafrost has been reported in several locations in Antarctica. Initially thought to be relic ice, it is now understood that this subsurface ice is in equilibrium with the surface conditions, although it is not in equilibrium with the atmosphere. We use year-round data from University Valley in the Dry Valleys and Elephant Head in the Ellsworth...
Authors
C. P. McKay, M. Marinova, Kaj E. Williams, M. Mellon

Long‐period ground motions from dynamic rupture simulations of large earthquakes on the creeping Hayward–Calaveras–Rodgers Creek fault system Long‐period ground motions from dynamic rupture simulations of large earthquakes on the creeping Hayward–Calaveras–Rodgers Creek fault system

he Hayward, Calaveras, and Rodgers Creek faults in the San Francisco Bay region of California have a high probability of producing a large earthquake in the next decades. Although these faults creep, the creep is insufficient to keep up with their relatively rapid slip rates on their deepest sections, so they have been storing tectonic strain since their last large earthquakes, with the...
Authors
Ruth A. Harris, Michael Barall, Grace Alexandra Parker, Evan Tyler Hirakawa

Rare earth elements on the Moon Rare earth elements on the Moon

Rare earth elements (REEs) are a scarce but vital resource for our modern economies and lifestyles. Since the late 1990s, China has supplied the vast majority of the world’s refined REEs. Increasing global demand has broadened the search for REE deposits to unconventional places, including the Moon. Although most lunar rocks have very low REE concentrations, Apollo samples showed that...
Authors
Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Joshua A. Coyan, Lori M. Pigue, Kristen A. Bennett, Travis S.J. Gabriel

Rapid fault healing from cementation controls the dynamics of deep slow slip and tremor Rapid fault healing from cementation controls the dynamics of deep slow slip and tremor

Despite its status as one of the most important discoveries in geophysics, the physical mechanism(s) responsible for slow slip events (SSEs) are not well understood. Here, we synthesize observations of deep SSEs in the Cascadia Subduction Zone and argue that rapid, cohesive fault strengthening may control the dynamics of deep SSEs. Cohesive strength is frequently ignored in constitutive...
Authors
Amanda Thomas, Jim M Watkins, Nicholas M. Beeler, Melodie French, Whitney M. Behr, Mark H. Reed

Near-fault amplification and ground motion variability during the 2019 Ridgecrest, California sequence Near-fault amplification and ground motion variability during the 2019 Ridgecrest, California sequence

We estimate ground-motion variability near the 2019 M 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. Accurate seismic hazard estimation requires understanding ground-motion spatial correlations, yet many studies lack the dense station coverage needed to resolve small-scale variability. The 2019 M 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence presents a unique opportunity to examine ground motions and their...
Authors
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Grace Alexandra Parker, Sarah E. Minson, Annemarie S. Baltay

Fiber-optic sensing for earthquake hazards research, monitoring and early warning Fiber-optic sensing for earthquake hazards research, monitoring and early warning

The use of fiber‐optic sensing systems in seismology has exploded in the past decade. Despite an ever‐growing library of ground‐breaking studies, questions remain about the potential of fiber‐optic sensing technologies as tools for advancing if not revolutionizing earthquake‐hazards‐related research, monitoring, and early warning systems. A working group convened to explore these topics...
Authors
Jeffrey J. McGuire, Andrew J. Barbour, Zack J. Spica, Verónica Rodríguez Tribaldos, Zhongwen Zhan, Bradley P. Lipovsky, Robert J. Mellors, Ettore Biondi, Clara Yoon, Martin Karrenbach, Adam T. Ringler, James William Atterholt, Avinash Nayak, Theresa Marie Sawi, Loic Viens, Eileen R. Martin, Allen L. Husker, Paul Bodin, Morgan P. Moschetti, Qibin Shi, Nathaniel C. Miller, Prisha Puri

Lessons from 40 years of communicating volcanic risk during crises Lessons from 40 years of communicating volcanic risk during crises

Since the 1985 Nevado del Ruiz eruption that killed over 23,000 people in Armero, Colombia, risk communication has become central to volcanic crisis management. Despite the development of effective tools and programmes for volcanic risk communication, considerable challenges remain.
Authors
Lara Mani, Jenni Barclay, Carina Fearnley, Richard E.A. Robertson, Blaise Mafuko Nyandwi, Sara Barsotti, Amy Donovan, Wendy K. Stovall

Potential for continental scientific drilling to inform fault mechanics and earthquake science Potential for continental scientific drilling to inform fault mechanics and earthquake science

Our understanding of fault mechanics and earthquake processes remains limited, largely due to minimal direct observations near active faults at seismogenic depths. This lack of data restricts our ability to accurately assess and mitigate both natural and human-induced seismic hazards. However, recent advancements in drilling capabilities and downhole sensing technologies offer an...
Authors
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Natalia Zakharova, Brett Carpenter, Folarin Kolawole, Nicholas W. Hayman, Hiroki Sone, Douglas R. Schmitt, Peter Eichhubl, William Ellsworth, Yves Guglielmi, Stephen H. Hickman, Harold J. Tobin

High-precision earthquake catalog for Minto Flats fault zone, central Alaska, reveals complex and conjugate faulting High-precision earthquake catalog for Minto Flats fault zone, central Alaska, reveals complex and conjugate faulting

The Minto Flats fault zone (MFFZ) in central Alaska is a left‐lateral strike‐slip fault system situated between the continental‐scale right‐lateral Denali and Kaltag‐Tintina faults. The MFFZ has the potential to generate magnitude 7 earthquakes, and it hosted a magnitude 6 earthquake in 1995. It has also produced exotic events, such as very‐low‐frequency earthquakes and nucleation...
Authors
Nealey E. Sims, Carl Tape, Natalia A. Ruppert, Michael E. West

Ultralong, supershear rupture of the 2025 Mw 7.7 Mandalay earthquake reveals unaccounted risk Ultralong, supershear rupture of the 2025 Mw 7.7 Mandalay earthquake reveals unaccounted risk

The 28 March 2025 moment magnitude (Mw) 7.7 earthquake in Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar), ruptured 475 kilometers of the Sagaing Fault, which was more than twice the length predicted by magnitude scaling relationships. Kinematic slip models and observation of a Rayleigh Mach wave that passed through parts of Thailand confirmed that rupture occurred at supershear velocities of greater than 5...
Authors
Dara Elyse Goldberg, William L. Yeck, Catherine Elise Hanagan, James William Atterholt, Haiyang Liam Kehoe, Nadine G. Reitman, William D. Barnhart, David R. Shelly, Alexandra Elise Hatem, David Wald, Paul S. Earle

Earthquake stress-drop values delineate spatial variations in maximum shear stress in the Japanese forearc lithosphere Earthquake stress-drop values delineate spatial variations in maximum shear stress in the Japanese forearc lithosphere

Earthquake stress drop (Δσ) may increase with depth and stress in the brittle lithosphere. However, the range of uncertainty in Δσ and the lack of constraints on absolute stress make it difficult to establish whether they are correlated. Here, we investigate Δσ dependence on depth and maximum shear stress (τmax) based on ~11 years of seismicity in the northeastern Japanese forearc...
Authors
Gian Maria Bocchini, Armin Dielforder, Kilian B. Kemna, Rebecca M. Harrington, Elizabeth S. Cochran
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