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
European Distinguished Geoscientist Medal Goes to UT’s Thorsten Becker
The European Geosciences Union has awarded the 2023 Augustus Love Medal to Thorsten Becker, a professor at The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences, for outstanding research contributions in the field of geodynamics and for leadership and selfless service to the scientific community. The Love Medal is Europe’s highest honor in geodynamics… Continue Reading European Distinguished Geoscientist Medal Goes to UT’s Thorsten Becker
Earthquake Scientists Have a New Tool in the Race to Find the Next Big One
An everyday quirk of physics could be an important missing piece in scientists’ efforts to predict the world’s most powerful earthquakes. In a study published in the journal Science, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin discovered that a frictional phenomenon could be key to understanding when and how violently faults move. That’s because… Continue Reading Earthquake Scientists Have a New Tool in the Race to Find the Next Big One
Scientists Plan Major Research Program to Understand Earth’s Most Dangerous Hazards
The University of Texas at Austin has joined leading scientists on a bold new effort to understand Earth’s largest earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The plans were detailed in a new report published Nov. 7 with the backing of 55 universities. Demian Saffer, the director of the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) and one… Continue Reading Scientists Plan Major Research Program to Understand Earth’s Most Dangerous Hazards
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 communities protect lives, infrastructure and local economies. For decades, scientists have struggled to reliably give forecasts for major earthquake hotspots, but… Continue Reading Earthquake Forecasts Move a Step Closer to Reality