Related topics: earthquake

A surprisingly soft mineral may control how Earth recycles rocks

The geological events we see on the surface of the Earth as mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes are expressions of processes that are happening deep in our planet. Here on the Earth's crust, we're part of a conveyor belt ...

Unearthing the cause of slow seismic waves in subduction zones

In modern subduction zones—regions around the world that have one tectonic plate sliding past another—one area can act like molasses for seismic waves. These anomalous areas are called low-velocity zones, or LVZs. In ...

Earthquake forecasts move a step closer to reality

Earthquakes—like lightning—strike unpredictably. The Earth's tectonic plates, however, hide subtle warnings that a major fault may soon break. Like forecasting a thunderstorm, knowing how to read the warnings could help ...

Subduction initiation may depend on a tectonic plate's history

Subduction zones are cornerstone components of plate tectonics, with one plate sliding beneath another back into Earth's mantle. But the very beginning of this process—subduction initiation—remains somewhat mysterious ...

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