Menu Close

Articles on Seismology

Displaying 41 - 60 of 82 articles

The epicenter of Mexico’s lethal September 2017 earthquake was less than 65 miles outside the nation’s capital. Nacho Doce/Reuters

Mexico City’s potent 2017 earthquake was a rare ‘bending’ quake – and it could happen again

Not all earthquakes are made equal. A study on the Sept. 2017 quake that killed 300 in Mexico City found that both its location and cause were unusual.
Seismic shockwaves after a meteorite’s collision could affect systems all over the planet. solarseven/Shutterstock.com

More bad news for dinosaurs: Chicxulub meteorite impact triggered global volcanic eruptions on the ocean floor

Research suggests a new threat to life on Earth from the meteorite’s crash: Via seismic waves, the impact triggered massive undersea eruptions, as big as any ever seen in our planet’s history.
Fires break out across San Francisco after the April 18, 1906 earthquake. USGS

California’s other drought: A major earthquake is overdue

According to current forecasts, California has a 93 percent chance of an earthquake with magnitude 7 or greater occurring by 2045. Early warning systems, now in development, could limit casualties and damage.
A detection station for seismic activity at Bilibion, a remote corner of Russia. The Official CTBTO Photostream (Copyright CTBTO Preparatory Commission)

I’ve always wondered: do nuclear tests affect tectonic plates and cause earthquakes or volcanic eruptions?

Human-induced earthquakes have been reported from every continent except Antarctica. We asked a geologist to investigate whether North Korea’s nuclear tests could trigger geological changes.
A wastewater injection well in Coyle, Oklahoma. Increases in wastewater injection at the underground can destabilise pre-existing faults, setting off earthquakes. J. Berry Harrison III / News 9 Oklahoma

Earthquakes caused by industrial activities: what are the risks and how can they be reduced?

As global demand for energy and mineral supplies increases worldwide, the number of man‑made earthquakes is expected to rise. That increases the importance of understanding connection between the two.
The city of Juchitan, on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, was hit particularly hard by the 8.2-magnitude earthquake that shook the region on Sept. 7, 2017. Edgard Garrido/Reuters

Why seismologists didn’t see Mexico’s deadly earthquake coming

The Tehuantepec gap in southeastern Mexico, where this month’s massive earthquake originated, was long thought to be ‘aseismic.’ On September 7, scientists learned otherwise.
Amatrice in central Italy was among the areas hit by a 6.2 earthquake that killed at least 252 people. Stefano Rellandini/Reuters

Can we get better at predicting earthquakes?

There are already early warning systems for earthquakes, but advances in seismology provide hope that experts will be able to predict when new ones will occur.
The recent earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador were large, but were they connected? EPA/Everett Kennedy Brown

Are the Japanese and Ecuador earthquakes related?

When two major earthquakes occur within days of each other thousands of kilometres apart, it can look like they’re connected. But are they? Here’s what the science says.
The April 2015 earthquake flattened villages and towns, but more may be to come. AAP Image/Jonathan Hyams/Save The Children

Nepal earthquake may have ‘unzipped’ fault line, boosting risk of future quake

New research shows the earthquake that struck central Nepal in April this year was only a partial rupture of the fault line, meaning another strong quake could be due in future.

Top contributors

More