Earthquakes can be deadly and disastrous. But what we feel may constitute a tiny sliver of an earthquake’s destructive energy, according to a new experiment. In a recent AGU Advances paper, researchers describe how they created “lab quakes,” or miniature versions of natural earthquakes created in a controlled laboratory. Doing so allowed the team to […]
Devastating Myanmar Earthquake Hints at What’s in Store for California
On March 28, a devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked Myanmar, splitting the Sagaing Fault at speeds of over 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) per second. You know which other fault resembles the Sagaing one? The San Andreas Fault in California, where seismologists have been expecting “the big one” for years. In a study published on August […]
Viral Myanmar Earthquake Video Shows First Visual Evidence of Rare Seismic Phenomena
In May, we reported on a first-of-its-kind video that captured surface rupture during Myanmar’s devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake. While the YouTube video now has 1.6 million views, two geophysicists spotted something many people probably didn’t notice. The video seems like a gift that just keeps on giving. As the Kyoto University scientists explain in a […]
‘Sleeping Giant’ Fault Under Canada Shows Major Earthquake Potential
After 12 millennia of relative inactivity, a geologic fault that stretches across the territory of Yukon, Canada, and Alaska now appears capable of producing a major earthquake, according to a new study. The findings point to an underrecognized source of seismic hazard in northwestern Canada. Scientists previously believed that the Tintina fault, which extends roughly […]
A Surge of Earthquakes in Alaska Is Raising Red Flags
A powerful offshore earthquake triggered a tsunami warning for communities along a 700-mile (1,100-kilometer) stretch of Alaska’s southern coast on Wednesday, July 16. Fortunately, the wave never came, and ground shaking caused minimal damage, but another large quake could strike this area in the near future. Since 2020, five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 7.2 to […]
Mega-Tsunamis That Shook the World for 9 Days Revealed in New Satellite Images
Scientists have finally solved the mystery behind two strange events that shook the entire planet for nine days straight. Their findings close the book on a years-long effort to trace the seismic signals back to their source. In September 2023, global seismometers detected something strange. The Earth was experiencing minor tremors every 90 seconds—and the […]
Signs of Liquid Water Under Martian Surface Boost Possibility of Life
Research published late last year indicated “seismic discontinuities in the Martian crust” that scientists believe could be an indicator of liquid water under the Martian surface, raising the possibility of microbial life persisting on the Red Planet. With an ancient past not dissimilar from Earth’s, and its relative proximity to our own world, Mars has […]