Last updated on 09/02/2020
Year-2020
Repeating earthquakes record fault weakening and healing in areas of megathrust postseismic slip
Chaves, E.J., Schwarts, S.Y., Abercrombie, R. E.
ScienceAdvances 05 August 2020
Seismological evidence for the earliest global subduction network at 2 Ga ago
Wan, B., Yang, X., Tian, X., Yuan, H., Kirscher, U., Mitchell, R. N. ScienceAdvances 05 August 2020
Tracking California’s sinking coast from space: Implications for relative sea-level rise
Blackwell, E., Shirzaei, M., Ojha,C.,Werth, S. ScienceAdvances 31 July 2020
Seismic anisotropy reveals crustal flow driven by mantle vertical loading in the Pacific NW
Gastellanos, J.C., Perry-Houts, J., Clayton, R.W., Kim, Y., Stanciu, A.C., Niday,B.,Humphrey, E. ScienceAdvances 08 July 2020
The predictable chaos of slow earthquakes
Gualandi, A., Avouac, J.P., Michel, S., Faranda, D. ScienceAdvances 01 July 2020
Deep slab seismicity limited by rate of deformation in the transition zone
Billen, M. ScienceAdvances 27 May 2020
3D fault architecture controls the dynamism of earthquake swarms
Ross, Z.E., Cochran, E.S., Trugmann, D.T., Smith, J.D. Science 19 June 2020
Deep long-period earthquakes generated by second boiling beneath Mauna Kea volcano
Wech, A. G., Thelen, W. A., Thomas, A. M., Science 15 May 2020
Slow slip source characterized by lithological and geometric heterogeneity
Barnes, P. M., Wallace, L. M., Saffer, D. M., et al. ScienceAdvances 25 March 2020
Seismic evidence for megathrust fault-valve behavior during episodic tremor and slip
Gosselin, J. M., Audet, P., Esteve, C., McLellan, M., Mosher, S. G., Schaeffer, A. ScienceAdvances 22 Januray 2020
The 22 December 2018 tsunami from flank collapse of Anak Krakatau volcano during eruption
Ye, L., Kanamori, H., Rivera, L., Lay, T., Zhou, Y., sianipar, D., Satake, K. ScienceAdvances 15 Januray 2020
Shallow slow slip events along the Nankai Trough detected by GNSS-A
Yokota, Y., Ishikawa, T. ScienceAdvances 15 Januray 2020
Hotspot swells and the lifespan of volcanic ocean islands
Huppert, K. L., Perron, J. T., Royden, L. H ScienceAdvances 01 Januray 2020
Year-2019 Magma reservoir failure and the onset of caldera collapse at Kīlauea Volcano in 2018
Anderson, K., Johanson, I., Patrick, M. R., Gu, M., Segall, P., Poland, M. P., Montgometry-Brown, E. K., Miklius, A. SCIENCE 6 December 2019
The tangled tale of Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption as told by geochemical monitoring
Gansecki, C., Lee, R. L., Shea, T., Lundblad, S. P., Hon, K., Parcheta, C. SCIENCE 6 December 2019
Illuminating seafloor faults and ocean dynamics with dark fiber distributed acoustic sensing
Lindsey, N., Dawe, T. C., Ajo-Franklin, J. B. SCIENCE 29 November 2019
How low should we go when warning for earthquakes?
Cochran, E., Husker, A. L. SCIENCE 22 November 2019
Hierarchical interlocked orthogonal faulting in the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence
Ross, Z., Idini, B., Jia, Z., Stephenson, O. L., Zhong, M., Wang, X., Zhan, Z., Simons, M.,Fielding, E.J., Yun, S., Hauksson, E., Moore, A. W., Liu, Z., Jung, J. SCIENCE 18 October 2019
The slow earthquake spectrum in the
Japan Trench illuminated by the S-net seafloor observatories BY Nishikawa, T., Mastuzawa, T., Ohta, K., Uchida, N., Nishimura, T., Ide, S. SCIENCE 23 August 2019
Fluid-induced aseismic fault slip outpaces pore-fluid migration BY Bhattacharya, P., Viesca, R. SCIENCE 3 May 2019
Machine Learning for data-driven solid Earth geoscience BY Bergen, K., Johnson, P., Hoop, M., Beroza, G. SCIENCE 22 March 2019
REVIEW
Machine learning for data-driven discovery in solid Earth geoscience Stabilization of fault slip by fluid injection in the laboratory and in situ BY Cappa, F., Scuderi, M., Collettini, C., et al., Science Advances 13 MARCH 2019 FULL ACCESS Stabilization of fault slip by fluid injection in the laboratory and in situ Slow slip events in the roots of the San Andreas fault BY Rousset, B., Bürgmann, R., Campillo, M. Science Advances 13 FEB 2019 FULL ACCESS Slow slip events in the roots of the San Andreas fault The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano BY NEAL, C. A., BRANTLEY, S. R., ANTOLIK, L., et al. SCIENCE 25 JAN 2019 : 367-374 FULL ACCESS The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea Volcano Earth and Moon impact flux increased at the end of the Paleozoic BY MAZROUEI S., GHENT, R. R., BOTTKE, W. F., PARKER, A. H., GERNON, T. M. SCIENCE 18 JAN 2019 : 253-257 FULL ACCESS Earth and Moon impact flux increased at the end of the Paleozoic Year-2018 Prepare for Cascadia's next earthquake BY LESHCHINSKY, B. A., BOOTH, A. M., GLOVER-CUTTER, K. M., et al. SCIENCE30 Nov 2018 : 1007 FULL ACCESS Prepare for Cascadia's next earthquake Slab2, a comprehensive subduction zone geometry model BY HAYES, G. P., MOORE, G. L., PORTNER, D. E., HEARNE, M., FLAMME, H., FURTNEY, M., SMOCZYK, G. M. SCIENCE 05 OCT 2018 : 58-61 FULL ACCESS Slab2, a comprehensive subduction zone geometry model The spatial footprint of injection wells in a global compilation of induced earthquake sequences BY THOMAS H. W. GOEBEL, EMILY E. BRODSKY SCIENCE31 AUG 2018 : 899-904 FULL ACCESS The seismic hazard distance from injection wells is dependent on rock type and fault density. Friction at the bed does not control fast glacier flow BY L. A. STEARNS, C. J. VAN DER VEEN SCIENCE20 JUL 2018 : 273-277 FULL ACCESS The sliding speed of ice streams is controlled by net pressure at the glacier bed. The rise, collapse, and compaction of Mt. Mantap from the 3 September 2017 North Korean nuclear test BY TENG WANG, QIBIN SHI, MEHDI NIKKHOO, SHENGJI WEI, SYLVAIN BARBOT, DOUGLAS DREGER, ROLAND BÜRGMANN, MAHDI MOTAGH, QI-FU CHEN SCIENCE13 JUL 2018 : 166-170 FULL ACCESS Space-based synthetic aperture radar satellites can detect underground nuclear weapons tests. Observed rapid bedrock uplift in Amundsen Sea Embayment promotes ice-sheet stability BY VALENTINA R. BARLETTA, MICHAEL BEVIS, BENJAMIN E. SMITH, TERRY WILSON, ABEL BROWN, ANDREA BORDONI, MICHAEL WILLIS, SHFAQAT ABBAS KHAN, MARC ROVIRA-NAVARRO, IAN DALZIEL, ROBERT SMALLEY JR., ERIC KENDRICK, STEPHANIE KONFAL, DANA J. CACCAMISE II, RICHARD C. ASTER, ANDY NYBLADE, DOUGLAS A. WIENS SCIENCE22 JUN 2018 : 1335-1339 FULL ACCESS A new viscosity model requires a much lower viscosity under the Amundsen Sea Embayment, stabilizing the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Assessing whether the 2017 Mw 5.4 Pohang earthquake in South Korea was an induced event BY KWANG-HEE KIM, JIN-HAN REE, YOUNGHEE KIM, SUNGSHIL KIM, SU YOUNG KANG, WOOSEOK SEO SCIENCE01 JUN 2018 : 1007-1009 FULL ACCESS Last year’s Pohang, South Korea, earthquake was potentially an induced earthquake from an enhanced geothermal system. BY THIBAULT CANDELA, BRECHT WASSING, JAN TER HEEGE, LOES BUIJZE SCIENCE11 MAY 2018 : 598-600 FULL ACCESS Conditions within Earth's crust determine whether human subsurface activities lead to earthquakes Oklahoma's induced seismicity strongly linked to wastewater injection depth BY THEA HINCKS, WILLY ASPINALL, ROGER COOKE, THOMAS GERNON SCIENCE16 MAR 2018 : 1251-1255 FULL ACCESS A Bayesian network approach implicates well depth as the most important operational factor for induced earthquakes. Hydraulic fracturing volume is associated with induced earthquake productivity in the Duvernay play BY R. SCHULTZ, G. ATKINSON, D. W. EATON, Y. J. GU, H. KAO SCIENCE19 JAN 2018 : 304-308 FULL ACCESS Induced seismicity from hydrofracturing in Canada is related to the well fluid injection volumes. Year-2017 Determination of intrinsic attenuation in the oceanic lithosphere-asthenosphere system BY NOZOMU TAKEUCHI, HITOSHI KAWAKATSU, HAJIME SHIOBARA, TAKEHI ISSE, HIROKO SUGIOKA, AKI ITO, HISASHI UTADA SCIENCE22 DEC 2017 : 1593-1596 FULL ACCESS An ocean-bottom seismic network allows estimates of the attenuation of the oceanic lithosphere and asthenosphere. Underwater network hunts for mysterious slow quakes BY LIZZIE WADE SCIENCE03 NOV 2017 : 577 FULL ACCESS Gentle shifts could reduce risk of future disasters in Mexico. The hidden simplicity of subduction megathrust earthquakes BY M.-A. MEIER, J. P. AMPUERO, T. H. HEATON SCIENCE22 SEP 2017 : 1277-1281 FULL ACCESS The early time-dependent behavior of a rupturing fault constrains the minimum magnitude for a large earthquake. Titanium isotopic evidence for felsic crust and plate tectonics 3.5 billion years ago BY NICOLAS D. GREBER, NICOLAS DAUPHAS, ANDREY BEKKER, MATOUŠ P. PTÁČEK, ILYA N. BINDEMAN, AXEL HOFMANN SCIENCE22 SEP 2017 : 1271-1274 FULL ACCESS Titanium isotopes in shale rock require the occurrence of plate tectonics on Earth 3.5 billion years ago. Sep 17 A unified continental thickness from seismology and diamonds suggests a melt-defined plate BY SAIKIRAN THARIMENA, CATHERINE RYCHERT, NICHOLAS HARMON SCIENCE11 AUG 2017 : 580-583 Reflection seismology constrains continental lithosphere thickness, which is likely tied to small amounts of melt. Seismic evidence for partial melting at the root of major hot spot plumes BY KAIQING YUAN, BARBARA ROMANOWICZ SCIENCE28 JUL 2017 : 393-397 Seismic tomographic methods detect a region of partially molten material in the root of Iceland’s mantle plume. April 28 BY IAN J. HAMLING, SIGRÚN HREINSDÓTTIR, KATE CLARK, JOHN ELLIOTT, CUNREN LIANG, ERIC FIELDING, NICOLA LITCHFIELD, PILAR VILLAMOR, LAURA WALLACE, TIM J. WRIGHT, ELISABETTA D’ANASTASIO, STEPHEN BANNISTER, DAVID BURBIDGE, PAUL DENYS, PAULA GENTLE, JAMIE HOWARTH, CHRISTOF MUELLER, NEVILLE PALMER, CHRIS PEARSON, WILLIAM POWER, PHILIP BARNES, DAVID J. A. BARRELL, RUSS VAN DISSEN, ROBERT LANGRIDGE, TIM LITTLE, ANDREW NICOL, JARG PETTINGA, JULIE ROWLAND, MARK STIRLING SCIENCE14 APR 2017 FULL ACCESS At least 12 faults spaced up to 15 kilometers apart ruptured during the magnitude 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake. BY JAMES D. P. MOORE, HANG YU, CHI-HSIEN TANG, TENG WANG, SYLVAIN BARBOT, DONGJU PENG, SAGAR MASUTI, JUSTIN DAUWELS, YA-JU HSU, VALÈRE LAMBERT, PRIYAMVADA NANJUNDIAH, SHENGJI WEI, ERIC LINDSEY, LUJIA FENG, BUNICHIRO SHIBAZAKI The combination of GPS and InSAR data after the Kumamoto earthquake in Japan allows for an estimate of regional rock rheology. Experimental constraints on the damp peridotite solidus and oceanic mantle potential temperature BY EMILY SARAFIAN, GLENN A. GAETANI, ERIK H. HAURI, ADAM R. SARAFIAN SCIENCE03 MAR 2017 : 942-945 Experiments on mantle rock with small amounts of water provide constraints on the temperature of Earth’s mantle. Planet Earth to get a daily selfie BY MARK STRAUSS SCIENCE24 FEB 2017 : 782-783 Researchers await data from the satellite company Planet, which has launched a flotilla of tiny eyes in the sky that will soon image the entire globe every day. Volcanic tremor and plume height hysteresis from Pavlof Volcano, Alaska BY DAVID FEE, MATTHEW M. HANEY, ROBIN S. MATOZA, ALEXA R. VAN EATON, PETER CERVELLI, DAVID J. SCHNEIDER, ALEXANDRA M. IEZZI SCIENCE06 JAN 2017 : 45-48 FULL ACCESS The seismic and infrasonic volcanic tremors track ash plume height from the 2016 eruption of Pavlof Volcano. Fault activation by hydraulic fracturing in western Canada BY XUEWEI BAO, DAVID W. EATON SCIENCE16 DEC 2016 : 1406-1409 Mega-earthquakes rupture flat megathrusts BY QUENTIN BLETERY, AMANDA M. THOMAS, ALAN W. REMPEL, LEIF KARLSTROM, ANTHONY SLADEN, LOUIS DE BARROS SCIENCE25 NOV 2016 : 1027-1031 Coseismic rupturing stopped by Aso volcano during the 2016 Mw 7.1 Kumamoto earthquake, Japan BY A. LIN, T. SATSUKAWA, M. WANG, Z. MOHAMMADI ASL, R. FUETA, F. NAKAJIMA SCIENCE18 NOV 2016 : 869-874 The Aso volcanic cluster stopped the fault rupture responsible for the 2015 magnitude 7.1 Kumamoto earthquake. Localized seismic deformation in the upper mantle revealed by dense seismic arrays BY ASAF INBAL, JEAN PAUL AMPUERO, ROBERT W. CLAYTON SCIENCE07 OCT 2016 : 88-92 Dense seismic arrays detect localized earthquakes that may track rock deformation in the ductile region of Earth. High-resolution lithosphere viscosity and dynamics revealed by magnetotelluric imaging BY LIJUN LIU, DERRICK HASTEROK SCIENCE30 SEP 2016 : 1515-1519 Deeper penetration of large earthquakes on seismically quiescent faults BY JUNLE JIANG, NADIA LAPUSTA SCIENCE10 JUN 2016 : 1293-1297 Reduced seismicity along certain strike-slip fault segments may be due to unexpectedly deep ruptures during big earthquakes. Connecting slow earthquakes to huge earthquakes BY KAZUSHIGE OBARA, AITARO KATO Teleseismic S wave microseisms BY KIWAMU NISHIDA, RYOTA TAKAGI SCIENCE26 AUG 2016 : 919-921 Detection of microseisms from a severe distant storm provides a new path for seismic structure determination. Periodic slow slip triggers megathrust zone earthquakes in northeastern Japan BY NAOKI UCHIDA, TAKESHI IINUMA, ROBERT M. NADEAU, ROLAND BÜRGMANN, RYOTA HINO SCIENCE29 JAN 2016 : 488-492 Earthquake-triggering slow-slip events occur quasi-periodically in northeast Japan. Archean upper crust transition from mafic to felsic marks the onset of plate tectonics BY MING TANG, KANG CHEN, ROBERTA L. RUDNICK SCIENCE22 JAN 2016 : 372-375 New geochemical proxies for MgO track the chemistry and evolution of Earth’s continental crust over 4 billion years. Shear deformation of bridgmanite and magnesiowüstite aggregates at lower mantle conditions BY JENNIFER GIRARD, GEORGE AMULELE, ROBERT FARLA, ANWAR MOHIUDDIN, SHUN-ICHIRO KARATO SCIENCE08 JAN 2016 : 144-147 Shearing experiments at lower mantle conditions show that the less abundant of the two major mantle minerals is easily deformed. [Also see Perspective by Chen] Geomorphic and geologic controls of geohazards induced by Nepal’s 2015 Gorkha earthquake BY J. S. KARGEL, G. J. LEONARD, D. et al. SCIENCE08 JAN 2016 Satellite imaging isolated hazard potential for earthquake-triggered landslides after the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal. Geophysical imaging reveals topographic stress control of bedrock weathering BY J. ST. CLAIR, S. MOON, W. S. HOLBROOK, J. T. PERRON, C. S. RIEBE, S. J. MARTEL, B. CARR, C. HARMAN, K. SINGHA, D. DEB. RICHTER SCIENCE30 OCT 2015 : 534-538 Geophysical survey data and stress modeling connect surface topography to Earth’s critical zone. [Also see Perspective by Anderson] Science 11 September 2015: 1213-1216. Subduction zone faults are weak at depth, well-oriented for failure, and embedded in a low-stress environment.[Also see Perspective by Bürgmann] Science 4 September 2015: 1091-1095. Published online 6 August 2015 [DOI:10.1126/science.aac6383] Continuous GPS and InSAR measurements record slip on the fault responsible for the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal. Science 14 August 2015: 720-723. A change in the direction of deformation with depth helps explain subduction-driven uplift.[Also see Perspective by Long] Science 10 July 2015: aaa4019 Reconstructing past magnitudes, rates, and sources of sea-level rise can help project what our warmer future may hold. Science 19 June 2015: 1336-1340. High injection rates of wastewater into deep wells increase the risk of earthquakes in regions prone to induced seismicity. Science 12 June 2015: 1224-1226. Real-time observations of a reactivated fault provide an option for monitoring of earthquake-inducing wastewater injection.[Also see Perspective by Cornet] Science 22 May 2015: 899-903. Science 17 April 2015: 327-331. Science 13 March 2015: 1237-1240. Published online 5 February 2015 [DOI:10.1126/science.1261508] Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials Superplastic nanofibrous slip zones control seismogenic fault friction o Berend A. Verberne, Oliver Plümper, D.A. Matthijs de Winter, and Christopher J. Spiers Science 12 December 2014: 1342-1344.[DOI:10.1126/science.1259003] Nanogranular microstructures found in simulated carbonate faults control the physical sliding mechanism during rupture. o Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials 2014 Tectonic control of Yarlung Tsangpo Gorge revealed by a buried canyon in Southern Tibet Ping Wang, Dirk Scherler, Jing Liu-Zeng, Jürgen Mey, Jean-Philippe Avouac, Yunda Zhang, and Dingguo Shi Science 21 November 2014: 978-981.[DOI:10.1126/science.1259041] Sediment cores from a buried canyon upstream of the Tsangpo Gorge support a rapid uplift event to explain gorge formation. [Also see Perspective by Whipple] Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials · K. Jaxybulatov, N. M. Shapiro, I. Koulakov, A. Mordret, M. Landès, and C. Sens-Schönfelder Science 31 October 2014 : 617-619. Ambient noise tomography images the magma distribution of a large volcanic reservoir under the Toba caldera. · Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials · Adrian Antal Borsa, Duncan Carr Agnew, and Daniel R. CayanScience 26 September 2014 : 1587-1590. GPS measurements of crustal rebound in the western U.S. quantify drought-induced regional water depletion. · Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials · S. Ruiz, M. Metois, A. Fuenzalida, J. Ruiz, F. Leyton, R. Grandin, C. Vigny, R. Madariaga, and J. Campos Science 5 September 2014 : 1165-1169. The intense and anomalous seismicity preceding the mainshock was the final step of a slow slip event. · Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials · Xiang Gao and Kelin Wang Science 29 August 2014 : 1038-1041. Megathrusts subducting rugged sea floor have high fault strength but do not unleash great earthquakes. · Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials Zhongwen Zhan, Donald V. Helmberger, Hiroo Kanamori, and Peter M. Shearer Science 11 July 2014: 204-207. Earthquakes that occur hundreds of kilometers below the surface may have more than one rupture mechanism. Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials · Brandon Schmandt, Steven D. Jacobsen, Thorsten W. Becker, Zhenxian Liu, and Kenneth G. Dueker Science 13 June 2014 : 1265-1268. Downwelling of hydrous minerals may cause partial melting of Earth’s lower mantle. · Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials · Denis Andrault, Giacomo Pesce, Mohamed Ali Bouhifd, Nathalie Bolfan-Casanova, Jean-Marc Hénot, and Mohamed Mezouar Science 23 May 2014 : 892-895. Mid-ocean ridge basalt entrained in the lowermost mantle is consistent with seismic ultra–low velocity zones[Also see Perspective byWilliams] · Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials · Colleen A. Dalton, Charles H. Langmuir, and Allison GaleScience 4 April 2014 : 80-83. Temperature variations in the upper mantle drive mantle convection.[Also see Perspective byKelley] · Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials · Caroline Beghein, Kaiqing Yuan, Nicholas Schmerr, and Zheng XingScience 14 March 2014 : 1237-1240. The Gutenberg discontinuity is distinct from the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. · Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials 2013 · P. M. Fulton, E. E. Brodsky, Y. Kano, J. Mori, F. Chester, T. Ishikawa, R. N. Harris, W. Lin, … Science 6 December 2013 : 1214-1217. The Tohoku-Oki earthquake occurred along a thin, clay-rich fault zone in the basal strata of the subducting plate. · Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials Podcast Interview · Kohtaro Ujiie, Hanae Tanaka, Tsubasa Saito, Akito Tsutsumi, James J. Mori, Jun Kameda, Emily E. Brodsky, … Science 6 December 2013 : 1211-1214. The Tohoku-Oki earthquake occurred along a thin, clay-rich fault zone in the basal strata of the subducting plate. · Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials · Frederick M. Chester, Christie Rowe, Kohtaro Ujiie, James Kirkpatrick, Christine Regalla, Francesca Remitti, J. Casey Moore, … Science 6 December 2013 : 1208-1211. The Tohoku-Oki earthquake occurred along a thin, clay-rich fault zone in the basal strata of the subducting plate. · Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials October 2013 Waveform Tomography Reveals Channeled Flow at the Base of the Oceanic Asthenosphere "Understanding the relationship between different scales of convection that drive plate motions and hotspot volcanism still eludes geophysicists. Using full-waveform seismic tomography, we imaged a pattern of horizontally elongated bands of low shear velocity, most prominent between 200 and 350 kilometers depth, which extends below the well-developed low-velocity zone. These quasi-periodic fingerlike structures of wavelength ~2000 kilometers align parallel to the direction of absolute plate motion for thousands of kilometers. Below 400 kilometers depth, velocity structure is organized into fewer, undulating but vertically coherent, low-velocity plumelike features, which appear rooted in the lower mantle. This suggests the presence of a dynamic interplay between plate-driven flow in the low-velocity zone and active influx of low-rigidity material from deep mantle sources deflected horizontally beneath the moving top boundary layer." Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials September 2013 Energy Release of the 2013 Mw 8.3 Sea of Okhotsk Earthquake and Deep Slab Stress Heterogeneity "Earth’s deepest earthquakes occur in subducting oceanic lithosphere, where temperatures are lower than in ambient mantle. On 24 May 2013, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake ruptured a 180-kilometer-long fault within the subducting Pacific plate about 609 kilometers below the Sea of Okhotsk. Global seismic P wave recordings indicate a radiated seismic energy of ~1.5 × 1017 joules. A rupture velocity of ~4.0 to 4.5 kilometers/second is determined by back-projection of short-period P waves, and the fault width is constrained to give static stress drop estimates (~12 to 15 megapascals) compatible with theoretical radiation efficiency for crack models. A nearby aftershock had a stress drop one to two orders of magnitude higher, indicating large stress heterogeneity in the deep slab, and plausibly within the rupture process of the great event." Deep-Focus Earthquake Analogs Recorded at High Pressure and Temperature in the Laboratory "Phase transformations of metastable olivine might trigger deep-focus earthquakes (400 to 700 kilometers) in cold subducting lithosphere. To explore the feasibility of this mechanism, we performed laboratory deformation experiments on germanium olivine (Mg2GeO4) under differential stress at high pressure (P = 2 to 5 gigapascals) and within a narrow temperature range (T = 1000 to 1250 kelvin). We found that fractures nucleate at the onset of the olivine-to-spinel transition. These fractures propagate dynamically (at anonnegligible fraction of the shear wave velocity) so that intense acoustic emissions are generated. Similar to deep-focus earthquakes, these acoustic emissions arise from pure shear sources and obey the Gutenberg-Richter law without following Omori’s law. Microstructural observations prove that dynamic weakening likely involves superplasticity of thenanocrystalline spinel reaction product at seismic strain rates." Slow Earthquakes, Preseismic Velocity Changes, and the Origin of Slow Frictional Stick-Slip "Earthquakes normally occur as frictional stick-slip instabilities, resulting in catastrophic failure and seismic rupture. Tectonic faults also fail in slow earthquakes with rupture durations of months or more, yet their origin is poorly understood. Here, we present laboratory observations of repetitive, slow stick-slip in serpentinite fault zones and mechanical evidence for their origin. We document a transition from unstable to stable frictional behavior with increasing slip velocity, providing a mechanism to limit the speed of slow earthquakes. We also document reduction of P-wave speed within the active shear zone before stick-slip events. If similar mechanisms operate in nature, our results suggest that higher-resolution studies of elastic properties in tectonic fault zones may aid in the search for reliable earthquake precursors." August 2013 " We constructed a three-dimensional azimuthally anisotropic model of Europe and the North Atlantic Ocean based on adjoint seismic tomography. Several features are well correlated with historical tectonic events in this region, such as extension along the North Atlantic Ridge, trench retreat in the Mediterranean, and counterclockwise rotation of the Anatolian Plate. Beneath northeastern Europe, the direction of the fast anisotropic axis follows trends of ancient rift systems older than 350 million years, suggesting “frozen-in” anisotropy related to the formation of the craton. Local anisotropic strength profiles identify the brittle-ductile transitions in lithospheric strength. In continental regions, these profiles also identify the lower crust, characterized by ductile flow. The observed anisotropic fabric is generally consistent with the current surface strain rate measured by geodetic surveys. " Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Materials
Complex multifault rupture during the 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake, New Zealand
Imaging the distribution of transient viscosity after the 2016 Mw 7.1 Kumamoto earthquake
Hydraulic fracturing reactivated faults, inducing an earthquake of magnitude > 4 in western Canada.
Large earthquakes in subduction zones are most likely to occur where the subducting slab is relatively flat.
• Editor's Summary Abstract Full Text PDF
SCIENCE15 JUL 2016 : 253-257
Stress orientations in subduction zones and the strength of subduction megathrust faults
Slip pulse and resonance of the Kathmandu basin during the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, Nepal
Layered deformation in the Taiwan orogen
Sea-level rise due to polar ice-sheet mass loss during past warm periods
High-rate injection is associated with the increase in U.S. mid-continent seismicity
Seismicity triggered by fluid injection–induced aseismic slip
Dynamic thinning of glaciers on the Southern Antarctic Peninsula
Glaciers on the Southern Antarctic Peninsula are disappearing at increasing rates.Volume loss from Antarctic ice shelves is accelerating
Published online 26 March 2015 [DOI:10.1126/science.aaa0940]Glacial cycles drive variations in the production of oceanic crust
A large magmatic sill complex beneath the Toba caldera
Ongoing drought-induced uplift in the western United States
Published online 21 August 2014 [DOI:10.1126/science.1260279] Intense foreshocks and a slow slip event preceded the 2014 Iquique Mw 8.1 earthquake
Published online 24 July 2014 [DOI:10.1126/science.1256074] Strength of stick-slip and creeping subduction megathrusts from heat flow observations
Supershear rupture in a Mw 6.7 aftershock of the 2013 Sea of Okhotsk earthquake
Dehydration melting at the top of the lower mantle
Melting of subducted basalt at the core-mantle boundary
Geophysical and Geochemical Evidence for Deep Temperature Variations Beneath Mid-Ocean Ridges
Changes in Seismic Anisotropy Shed Light on the Nature of the Gutenberg Discontinuity
Published online 27 February 2014 [DOI:10.1126/science.1246724] Low Coseismic Friction on the Tohoku-Oki Fault Determined from Temperature Measurements
Low Coseismic Shear Stress on the Tohoku-Oki Megathrust Determined from Laboratory Experiments
Structure and Composition of the Plate-Boundary Slip Zone for the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake