Paleoseismology is the scientific discipline that investigates prehistoric and pre-instrumental earthquakes through geological records, primarily using stratigraphic, geomorphic, and structural evidence preserved in sediments and rocks. It relies on trenching across active or suspected faults, dating displaced or deformed strata (e.g., by radiocarbon, luminescence, or dendrochronology), and analyzing offset geomorphic markers to reconstruct the timing, location, magnitude, and recurrence intervals of past seismic events. These data constrain long-term fault slip rates, characterize earthquake recurrence behavior, improve seismic hazard assessments, and test models of fault interaction and earthquake cycle processes beyond the limited span of historical and instrumental records.
In a world-first use of medical imaging technology, scientists have revealed the earthquake-generating potential of faults in the Hamilton and Hauraki areas. The study shows that hidden geological faults in Hamilton city ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 19, 2026
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In the Pacific Northwest, big faults like the Cascadian subduction zone located offshore, get a lot of attention. But big faults aren't the only ones that pose significant hazards, and a new study investigates the dynamics ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 5, 2026
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Marine turbidites are layers of mud and sand deposited on the deep ocean floor by massive underwater landslides and are often used as a historical record for reconstructing earthquake histories.
A common misconception about research is that it takes place in climate-controlled labs with microscopes, beakers, and Bunsen burners. While that is true for many fields, obtaining geoscience data can demand fieldwork in ...
Earth Sciences
Dec 4, 2025
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A fault line in Canada's Yukon territory has stirred after more than 12,000 years of geological sleep. Researchers studying the Tintina Fault, which stretches 1,000 kilometers from northeast British Columbia into the Yukon ...
Environment
Dec 2, 2025
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Lake Turkana in northern Kenya is often called the cradle of humankind. Home to some of the earliest hominids, its fossil-rich basin has helped scientists piece together the story of human evolution. Now, researchers from ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 10, 2025
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Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) have analyzed signals generated by the vibrations of traffic along the Federal Highway to learn more about the seismic nature of Lake George, situated north-east of ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 21, 2025
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On Mars, the past is written in stone—but the present is written in sand. Last week, Perseverance explored inactive megaripples to learn more about the wind-driven processes that are reshaping the Martian landscape every ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 22, 2025
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New research led by the University of Victoria (UVic) has illuminated a significant and previously unrecognized source of seismic hazard for the Yukon Territory of northwestern Canada.
Earth Sciences
Jul 16, 2025
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In 1638, an earthquake in what is now New Hampshire and Plymouth, Massachusetts, left colonists stumbling from the strong shaking and water sloshing out of the pots used by Native Americans to cook a midday meal along the ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 18, 2025
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