Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have successfully isolated a pattern of lab-made ‘foreshock’ tremors. The finding offers hope that future earthquakes could be forecast by the swarm of smaller tremors that come before them. The research was published in the journal Nature Communications. The next step is to replicate the results in… Continue Reading Scientists Isolate Early-Warning Tremor Pattern in Lab-Made Earthquakes
Sinking Seamount Offers Clues to Slow Motion Earthquakes
Scientists have long puzzled over what happens when seamounts — mountains and volcanoes on the seafloor — are pulled into subduction zones. Now, new research from The University of Texas at Austin shows that when seamounts sink, they leave behind a trail of soft sediments. The researchers think the sediment patches help tectonic pressure escape… Continue Reading Sinking Seamount Offers Clues to Slow Motion Earthquakes
Research Breaks Down Broken Foreland Basins
A study led by The University of Texas at Austin is offering a different take. The researchers present a categorical definition for broken foreland basins and suggest that an array of geological mechanisms, not just flab slab subduction, could lead to their formation. “Many geologists have used broken foreland basins as a definitive marker for… Continue Reading Research Breaks Down Broken Foreland Basins
Scientists Detect Molten Rock Layer Hidden Under Earth’s Tectonic Plates
Scientists have discovered a new layer of partly molten rock under the Earth’s crust that might help settle a long-standing debate about how tectonic plates move. Researchers had previously identified patches of melt at a similar depth. But a new study led by The University of Texas at Austin revealed for the first time the… Continue Reading Scientists Detect Molten Rock Layer Hidden Under Earth’s Tectonic Plates
Gail Christeson: Former UTIG Associate Director
By Constantino Panagopulos Like many scientists, Gail Christeson often turned to the National Science Foundation for research funding. It’s how she ended up leading one of the longest continuous seismic imaging profiles of the Earth’s oceanic crust, and it’s what took her to the southern Gulf of Mexico to drill an underwater crater that marked… Continue Reading Gail Christeson: Former UTIG Associate Director