Science briefs about new earthquake research written for non-scientists.
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Filter Total Items: 25
Using Distant Seismometers to Monitor and Analyze Volcanic Eruptions
Before a volcano erupts, there are typically precursory activities that can be detected on seismometers. Thus, monitoring volcanoes with nearby seismometers is a good way to know when a volcanic eruption may be imminent. Placing these instruments around every volcano is, however, not possible due to logistical constraints, nor is it necessary in many locations far away from a population center.
The 2023 National Seismic Hazard Model – What's Shaking?
No one can predict earthquakes. But existing faults and past earthquakes give us information about future earthquakes, and geology tells us how the ground shakes during an earthquake.
Listening to the Earth at the South Pole
The darkest place on Earth may be deep within a cave, but the quietest place on Earth is deep within the Antarctic ice. If you want to listen to the softest whispers of the Earth, South Pole, Antarctica is where you want to be. Seismic station, QSPA (Quiet South Pole, Antarctica) has been allowing us to eavesdrop on the Earth for over six decades, and it may soon gain the equivalent of a hearing...
Improving Earthquake Monitoring with Deep Learning
Release Date: MARCH 12, 2021 On January 20, 2021 at 8:32am light shaking interrupted breakfast customers at a local coffee shop south of downtown Los Angeles, California. Everyone paused briefly while they waited to see if it was going to stop… or start shaking harder.
Auroras and Earthquakes: Strange Companions
Release Date: JULY 6, 2020 In 1722 and 1723 a London clockmaker, George Graham, observed daily and consistent variations on one of his instruments, a “Needle upon the Pin” (a compass), for which he had no explanation. Swedish scientists obtained some of Graham’s instruments to record what is now known to be the variations in Earth’s magnetic field. In 1741, they noticed a significant deflection of...
The Blind Zone of Earthquake Early Warning
Release Date: MAY 29, 2020 Residents in California, Oregon, and Washington have been told that earthquake early warning (EEW) is at their doorstep and will alert them to the shaking from an earthquake before it arrives. Some media reports have said there will be “up to a minute of warning”. The problem is, for onshore earthquakes these claims are exaggerated, and under some conditions a warning is...
What if the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System Had Been Operating During the M6.9 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake?
Release Date: OCTOBER 17, 2019 How will ShakeAlert® likely perform now on a large earthquake impacting a major urban area? How much warning will you get? To answer this, let’s do a thought experiment...
Earthquake Early Warning – Fine-Tuning for Best Alerts
Release Date: OCTOBER 8, 2019 The goal of an earthquake early warning (EEW) system is to provide an alert to people and automatic systems after an earthquake begins but before the shaking reaches their location. As the USGS and its partners are developing an EEW system, called ShakeAlert®, for the West Coast, the benefits, costs, capabilities, and limitations are being investigated. Two recent...
Could the M7.1 Ridgecrest, CA Earthquake Sequence Trigger a Large Earthquake Nearby?
Release Date: SEPTEMBER 30, 2019 Two of the first questions that come to mind for anyone who just felt an earthquake are, “Will there be another one?” and “Will it be larger?”.
Geologic Cracks Record Earthquakes on the Reelfoot Fault in Central U.S.
Release Date: APRIL 25, 2019 New high-resolution lidar data reveals cracks produced from strong shaking in past earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone.
Preserving Historic Earthquake Records and Photos of the Instruments that Recorded Them
Release Date: FEBRUARY 4, 2019 A project to scan a small selection of the film chips of historical earthquake recordings to digital files was started in 1996. In addition to archiving historic data from the early years, the USGS has also worked to archive photos and descriptions of early seismometers.
Collection of 3D Geometries of Global Subduction Zones
Release Date: NOVEMBER 12, 2018 A new picture of the geometry of subducting slabs around the world, the locations of the world’s largest earthquakes.