AUSTIN,
Texas — Slow slip earthquakes, a type of slow motion tremor, have
been detected at many of the world’s earthquake hotspots, including
those found around the Pacific Ring of Fire, but it is unclear how
they are connected to the damaging quakes that occur there.
Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have now revealed the
earthquakes’ inner workings using seismic CT scans and
supercomputers to examine a region off the coast of New Zealand known
to produce them. (more…)
AUSTIN, Texas — An international team of geoscientists has discovered an unusual geological formation that helps explain how an undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in December 2004 spawned the deadliest tsunami in recorded history.(more…)
While Japan’s 8.9-magnitude earthquake and accompanying tsunami represent a devastating natural disaster for the country’s residents, scientists should also seize upon the massive temblor as an important learning tool for future quakes around the world, including the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States, according to experts from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
WHOI geophysicist Jeff McGuire said such lessons may be particularly germane to residents of Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Vancouver–a region he said, could be subject to a similar quake/tsunami scenario. “Today’s earthquake happened on a subduction zone thrust fault where the Pacific plate subducts, or dives, under the Japanese islands,” he said. “Japan regularly has large earthquakes and tsunamis all along its east coast due to subduction. (more…)
