Editorial |
Featured
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Comment |
Seismic methodologies key to unlocking Earth’s lowermost mantle
Advances in seismological observational and modelling techniques are needed to constrain complex lowermost mantle structures and understand their influence on the global dynamics and evolution of Earth’s interior.
- Lauren Waszek
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Q&A |
Ultralow velocity zones in the deep Earth
Nature Geoscience spoke with Samantha Hansen, a geophysicist at the University of Alabama and Sebastian Rost, a global seismologist at the University of Leeds about the ultralow velocity zones in the lowermost mantle.
- Alireza Bahadori
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Article
| Open Access
Remnants of shifting early Cenozoic Pacific lower mantle flow imaged beneath the Philippine Sea Plate
A record of lower mantle flow from 50 million years ago is preserved in the Pacific region and provides evidence for past lower mantle deformation, according to seismic anisotropy tomography.
- Jianke Fan
- , Dapeng Zhao
- & Dongdong Dong
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Article |
Cenozoic eastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau controlled by tearing of the Indian slab
The Cenozoic eastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau can be explained by slab tear and the resulting mantle flow beneath the eastern region, according to analysis of seismic tomography, tectonic and magmatic records of the Indian mantle lithosphere.
- Zengqian Hou
- , Lijun Liu
- & Qingtian Lü
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Article |
Detections of ultralow velocity zones in high-velocity lowermost mantle linked to subducted slabs
Global detections of ultralow velocity zones in high-velocity lowermost mantle regions are associated with thermochemical anomalies linked to subducted slabs, according to analysis of SKKKP B-caustic diffractions with anomalous seismic structures in the mantle and outer core.
- Yulong Su
- , Sidao Ni
- & Daoyuan Sun
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Research Briefing |
Ultralow velocity zone and deep mantle flow beneath the Himalayas are linked to a subducted slab
Through the detection of postcursors of shear waves diffracted at the core–mantle boundary, a zone of ultralow seismic velocities has been identified at the base of the mantle beneath the Himalayas. The presence of this zone is probably linked to a subducted slab remnant that is driving mantle flow in the region.
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Research Briefing |
Linking biosphere with lithosphere by assessing how earthquakes affect forest growth
Earthquakes not only affect tree growth directly by causing physical injury to individual trees but also indirectly by inducing changes in forest habitats. We established linkage between tree-ring series and seismic disturbances and found that prominent and lasting seismic legacies in drier areas may be due to an increased infiltration of precipitation through earthquake-induced soil cracks.
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Article |
Ultralow velocity zone and deep mantle flow beneath the Himalayas linked to subducted slab
The presence of an ultralow velocity zone and seismic anisotropy in the lowermost mantle beneath the Himalayas is linked to subducted slab remnants and southwest mantle flow, according to analyses of seismic waves and mantle anisotropy measurements.
- Jonathan Wolf
- , Maureen D. Long
- & Daniel A. Frost
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Article |
Shifts of forest resilience after seismic disturbances in tectonically active regions
Earthquakes can cause decadal-scale shifts in forest growth resilience by increasing the infiltration of precipitation through earthquake-induced soil cracks, according to global analyses of tree-ring width and historic earthquake data.
- Shan Gao
- , Eryuan Liang
- & J. Julio Camarero
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Article |
Stress-driven recurrence and precursory moment-rate surge in caldera collapse earthquakes
The initiation and rupture extent of earthquakes are controlled by stress heterogeneity, according to analysis of seismicity and deformation during caldera collapse of Kilauea Volcano.
- Paul Segall
- , Mark V. Matthews
- & Kyle R. Anderson
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News & Views |
Triggers of Chile’s mega-earthquakes
Megathrust earthquakes along subduction zones present significant hazards. Evidence from the South Chile subduction zone suggests that the structure and fluid distribution of the megathrust interface governs the size and timing of large earthquakes.
- Mohamed Chlieh
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Article |
Recurrence time and size of Chilean earthquakes influenced by geological structure
Geological structure and pore fluid pressure in the subduction zone forearc govern the size and recurrence of megathrust earthquakes in Chile, according to quasi-dynamic simulations of the seismic cycle.
- Joaquín Julve
- , Sylvain Barbot
- & Valeria Becerra-Carreño
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Article |
Diverse slip behaviour of velocity-weakening fault barriers
Velocity-weakening seismic barriers in subduction zones display a range of behaviours consistent with geologic structural control on earthquake seismicity, according to earthquake cycle simulations along a megathrust.
- Diego Molina-Ormazabal
- , Jean-Paul Ampuero
- & Andrés Tassara
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Article |
Geometric controls on cascading rupture of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake doublet
Analysis of remote-sensing and seismological observations from the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake doublet reveals how fault geometry can control fault slip distribution and rupture kinematics, including the occurrence of supershear rupture.
- Yijun Zhang
- , Xiongwei Tang
- & Heping Sun
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Research Briefing |
Icequakes used to measure friction and slip at a glacier bed
Icequake observations were combined with an analytical friction model to measure friction and slip at the bed of an Antarctic ice stream. Friction and slip are found to be highly variable in space and time, controlled by higher-than-expected normal stresses at the ice–bed interface.
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Article |
Post-subduction tectonics induced by extension from a lithospheric drip
Post-subduction downwelling of lithosphere—or drips—can lead to extension and crustal thinning, influencing the tectonic evolution of continental crust after subduction termination, according to thermo-mechanical simulations.
- S. Pilia
- , D. R. Davies
- & N. Rawlinson
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Article
| Open Access
Highly variable friction and slip observed at Antarctic ice stream bed
Passive seismic observations from the Rutford Ice Stream in Antarctica reveal a highly complex bed and substantial variability in friction and slip rates at the ice–bed interface.
- T. S. Hudson
- , S. K. Kufner
- & T. Murray
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Article |
Slow slip along the Hikurangi margin linked to fluid-rich sediments trailing subducting seamounts
Sediment lenses trailing subducting seamounts could maintain long-lasting fluid pressures and support slow-slip behaviour at sediment-rich subduction zones, according to three-dimensional seismic surveys of the Hikurangi margin.
- Nathan L. Bangs
- , Julia K. Morgan
- & Bill Fry
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Article |
Similar seismic moment release process for shallow and deep earthquakes
Differences in shallow- and deep-earthquake characteristics can be explained by Earth’s depth-dependent rigidity instead of different rupture processes, according to machine learning classification of moderate to large earthquakes.
- Xin Cui
- , Zefeng Li
- & Yan Hu
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News & Views |
A partially molten mantle
A global analysis of seismic waves has identified a widespread sharp velocity anomaly at the base of the low seismic velocity zone that is consistent with partial melting, closing a decades-long debate about the origin of this zone.
- Geeth Manthilake
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Article |
Asthenospheric low-velocity zone consistent with globally prevalent partial melting
A partially molten low-seismic-velocity zone in the asthenosphere is globally prevalent, but partial melting is not the primary control of low asthenospheric viscosity, according to analysis of seismic waves travelling through the mantle.
- Junlin Hua
- , Karen M. Fischer
- & Greg Hirth
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Research Briefing |
Differential rotation of the Earth’s inner core changes over decades and has come to near-halt
Seismic observations reveal that the Earth’s inner core oscillates with a period of approximately seven decades. The multidecadal periodicity coincides with that of several other geophysical observations, particularly the variations in the length of day and the Earth’s magnetic field, suggesting dynamic interactions between the major layers of the Earth.
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Article |
Multidecadal variation of the Earth’s inner-core rotation
Multidecadal oscillation of the Earth’s inner core, coinciding with length of day and magnetic field variations, is experiencing a pause and reversing, according to analysis of repeating seismic waves traversing the inner core since the 1960s.
- Yi Yang
- & Xiaodong Song
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Article |
Fault strength and rupture process controlled by fault surface topography
Simulated earthquakes on metre-scale laboratory faults reveal that fault surfaces with more heterogeneous topography are stronger, and rupture at a wider range of propagation speeds, than those that are less heterogeneous.
- Shiqing Xu
- , Eiichi Fukuyama
- & Shigeru Takizawa
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News & Views |
Chasing supershear earthquakes
In rare and sometimes highly destructive cases, faults rupture faster than the seismic waves generated can travel. A global investigation of earthquake rupture speeds reveals that these events occur much more frequently than previously thought.
- Ryo Okuwaki
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Article |
Global frequency of oceanic and continental supershear earthquakes
Supershear earthquakes occur more frequently than previously thought, as suggested by the identification of four oceanic events from a global analysis of large shallow strike-slip earthquakes.
- Han Bao
- , Liuwei Xu
- & Haijiang Zhang
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Research Briefing |
First seismic detections of natural impacts linked to craters on another planet
Seismometers on the NASA InSight lander have identified unusual signals from meteoroid impacts on Mars. Impact locations were confirmed by satellite images of new craters at these sites and directly constrain the martian interior, confirming its crustal structure and ground-truthing the scaling of impact-induced seismicity.
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Article |
Newly formed craters on Mars located using seismic and acoustic wave data from InSight
Impact-induced acoustic and seismic wave events on Mars recorded by the InSight lander’s seismometer have been traced to fresh craters observed in spacecraft imagery.
- Raphael F. Garcia
- , Ingrid J. Daubar
- & William Bruce Banerdt
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Article |
Deep hydration and lithospheric thinning at oceanic transform plate boundaries
Deep hydration of the upper mantle at transform plate boundaries due to seawater infiltration leads to hydrous melting and lithospheric thinning, according to seismic surveys and thermal modelling of the Romanche transform fault.
- Zhikai Wang
- , Satish C. Singh
- & Milena Marjanović
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Article |
Fluid transport and storage in the Cascadia forearc influenced by overriding plate lithology
The lithology of the overriding plate plays a critical role in determining fluid transport in subduction zones, according to magnetotelluric imaging of the impact of the dry, mafic Siletzia terrane on fluids in the Cascadia subduction zone, North America.
- Gary D. Egbert
- , Bo Yang
- & Blake Parris
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Editorial |
Hazard perception
A limited number of earthquakes and volcanoes, primarily located in global north countries, dominate the collective research output on these geohazards. Efforts to improve monitoring at both local and global levels can address this disparity and reduce the associated risk.
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Research Briefing |
Aftershocks of megathrust earthquakes undergo a central shutdown and surrounding activation
Megathrust aftershocks can be highly destructive if they strike close to shore. Here, we show that aftershocks on the rupture surface have an initially high rate but shut down within several years, potentially for centuries. However, aftershocks also surround the rupture, where they persist for up to 60 years.
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Article
| Open Access
Lower oceanic crust formed by in situ melt crystallization revealed by seismic layering
The lower oceanic crust forms through the accretion of injected melt that cools and crystallizes in situ over hundreds of thousands of years, according to seismic data from the slow-spreading equatorial Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
- Peng Guo
- , Satish C. Singh
- & Erdinc Saygin
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Article |
Central shutdown and surrounding activation of aftershocks from megathrust earthquake stress transfer
Seismicity close to the rupture surface can shut down for centuries following a megathrust earthquake, while a much larger area surrounding it is activated for decades, according to numerical modelling of the 2011 Tohoku and other megathrust earthquakes.
- Shinji Toda
- & Ross S. Stein
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Article |
Cyclical geothermal unrest as a precursor to Iceland’s 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption
Ingression of magmatic gas into a geothermal aquifer generated cyclical deformation and primed the system for the 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption, Iceland, according to a catalogue of 39,500 precursory earthquakes combined with a poroelastic model.
- Ólafur G. Flóvenz
- , Rongjiang Wang
- & Claus Milkereit
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Article |
Thermochemical structure and evolution of cratonic lithosphere in central and southern Africa
Cratons in central and southern Africa exhibit diverse structures, compositions and responses to geodynamic settings, according to a high-resolution thermochemical regional model constructed from land- and satellite-based geophysical observations.
- Juan C. Afonso
- , Walid Ben-Mansour
- & Yingjie Yang
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Article |
Instability of the African large low-shear-wave-velocity province due to its low intrinsic density
The seismic anomaly in the lowermost mantle beneath Africa is greater in height and less stable than its Pacific counterpart because of its lower density, according to numerical simulations of the anomalies as thermochemical piles.
- Qian Yuan
- & Mingming Li
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Article |
An initial map of fine-scale heterogeneity in the Earth’s inner core
Two regions of fine-scale heterogeneity in Earth’s inner core may be due to the random alignment of fast-freezing crystals associated with downwelling in the mantle and outer core, according to a 3D map of inner-core seismic data.
- Wei Wang
- & John E. Vidale
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Article |
Accrual of widespread rock damage from the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes
Fracture density decays continuously with distance from the fault resulting in regionally widespread damage over multiple earthquake cycles, according to combined maps of fracture, strain and aftershocks from the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes.
- Alba M. Rodriguez Padilla
- , Michael E. Oskin
- & Andreas Plesch
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News & Views |
Breaking subductions’ fourth wall
Subduction zone formation may be both horizontally and then vertically driven, according to a 4D evolution model of the Puysegur margin, New Zealand. This suggests that the current endmember classification of subduction initiation must be expanded.
- Fabio Crameri
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Article |
Stress transition from horizontal to vertical forces during subduction initiation
Stress transitions from horizontally forced compression to vertically forced extension during subduction initiation, according to seismic images of the Puysegur plate boundary, New Zealand.
- Brandon Shuck
- , Sean P. S. Gulick
- & Erin Hightower
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News & Views |
Top-down control on water subduction
The structure of the overriding plate may control bending and water ingress into the subducting plate based on an exceptional 3D velocity model of the Nankai subduction zone.
- Donna J. Shillington
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Article |
Upper-plate controls on subduction zone geometry, hydration and earthquake behaviour
Structures in the upper, overriding plate impact the geometry, hydration state and seismogenic region of subduction zones, according to a 3D seismic structural model of the Nankai subduction zone.
- Adrien F. Arnulf
- , Dan Bassett
- & Gregory Moore
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Article |
Stress, rigidity and sediment strength control megathrust earthquake and tsunami dynamics
Tsunamis generated by megathrust earthquakes are controlled by regional-scale structural heterogeneity, according to numerical modelling based on the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
- Thomas Ulrich
- , Alice-Agnes Gabriel
- & Elizabeth H. Madden
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Article |
Internal structure of ultralow-velocity zones consistent with origin from a basal magma ocean
The internal structures of ultralow-velocity zones at the base of the mantle are consistent with an origin from remnants of the early Earth’s differentiation, according to seismic data analysis and geodynamical modelling.
- Surya Pachhai
- , Mingming Li
- & Hrvoje Tkalčić
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Article |
Deformation-controlled long-period seismicity in low-cohesion volcanic sediments
Long-period seismicity at volcanoes may be generated by deformation of weak material in the subsurface, not solely by fluid movement, according to rock deformation experiments.
- Pete Rowley
- , Philip M. Benson
- & Christopher J. Bean
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Article |
A poorly mixed mantle transition zone and its thermal state inferred from seismic waves
The mantle transition zone is poorly, mechanically mixed, and acts to impede mantle flow, according to seismic observations integrated with detailed mineral-physics models.
- Lauren Waszek
- , Benoit Tauzin
- & Juan Carlos Afonso
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Article |
A further source of Tokyo earthquakes and Pacific Ocean tsunamis
The Philippine Sea/Pacific boundary megathrust is another possible source of seismic hazard in the Tokyo Region and tsunamis in the Pacific, according to an assessment of 1,000 years of tsunami deposits along the Japanese coastline.
- Jessica E. Pilarczyk
- , Yuki Sawai
- & Christopher H. Vane
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Article |
Oceanic transform fault seismicity and slip mode influenced by seawater infiltration
Seawater infiltration into oceanic transform faults may control their seismicity extent and slip mode variations, according to numerical models of the mechanical and thermal structure of these faults that account for hydration effects.
- Arjun Kohli
- , Monica Wolfson-Schwehr
- & Jessica M. Warren
The ultra-lowdown on mantle heterogeneity