Space-Based System Can Provide Seismic Monitoring for Large Earthquakes, Tsunamis

GNSS station

11 May 2021–Researchers have developed a global earthquake monitoring system that uses the Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) to measure crustal deformation. The monitoring system within seconds can rapidly assess earthquake magnitude and fault slip distribution for earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 and larger, making it a potentially valuable tool in … Continue Reading »

Why Are There Relatively Few Aftershocks for Certain Cascadia Earthquakes?

HWY 302 after Nisqually earthquake

13 April 2021–In the Cascadia subduction zone, medium and large-sized “intraslab” earthquakes, which take place at greater than crustal depths within the subducting plate, will likely produce only a few detectable aftershocks, according to a new study. The findings could have implications for forecasting aftershock seismic hazard in the Pacific … Continue Reading »

BSSA Top-Cited Papers for 2020

BSSA

1 March 2021–Five papers from BSSA’s special section on the 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake sequence were the top-cited papers from the journal published in 2020. The ranking of all papers noted below reflect citation and download numbers through 31 January 2021: 1.DuRoss. et al. “Surface Displacement Distributions for the July … Continue Reading »

Magnitude Comparison Distinguishes Small Earthquakes from Explosions in U.S. West

SPE explosive

13 October 2020–By comparing two magnitude measurements for seismic events recorded locally, researchers can tell whether the event was a small earthquake or a single-fire buried chemical explosion. The findings, published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, give seismologists one more tool to monitor nuclear explosions, particularly … Continue Reading »