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Physically plausible interseismic asperity models determined from GPS velocities suggest that the 2020 Mw 7.8 Simeonof and 2021 Mw 8.2 Chignik earthquakes ruptured distinct persistent asperities on the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone

Eastern Taiwan’s double-vergence suture hosts frequent M ≥ 6 earthquakes and widespread aseismic slip, offering a natural laboratory to study earthquake triggering. The study shows that 24 years of repeating earthquake and earthquake swarm data reveal an aseismic slip acceleration beginning ~3 years before the April 3, 2024 Mw 7.3 Hualien earthquake.

Seismic data from subduction zones that exhibit slow earthquakes reveal that the ratio of compressional-wave to shear-wave velocity of the overriding forearc crust is linearly related to the average recurrence time of slow earthquakes and that this may be associated with quartz enrichment within the forearc crust.

A wedge-shaped graben extension mechanism for the 2025 Dingri earthquake involved two graben-bounding faults, highlighting that early postseismic deformation is mainly driven by shallow afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation, with the afterslip spatially complementing coseismic slip, according to integration of field observations, geodetic and seismic data.

The devastating Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 struck along a fault zone that showed low rates of deformation. Analysis of GPS and InSAR data suggests that, as structural barriers failed during a single earthquake, the rupture cascaded across multiple fault segments, which may explain the high magnitude of the event.

Subduction zone faults can slip slowly, generating tremor. The varying correlation between tidal stresses and tremor occurring deep in the Cascadia subduction zone suggests that the fault is inherently weak, and gets weaker as it slips.

An earthquake off Chile in 2014 occurred in a region where a great seismic event was expected. Two studies reveal that months of foreshocks and slow slip on the associated plate-boundary fault preceded the event. See Letters p.295 & p.299

This study on the central San Andreas Fault shows how its fine-scale structures and kinematics, resolved using high-quality focal mechanisms of small earthquakes, are influenced by a weak, poorly coupled fault zone.

Within just three years, a 2,000-km stretch of the plate boundary tracing the Indonesian archipelago slipped in four earthquakes. Studies of past and present seismic activity in the region show a complex, but organized pattern of earthquake supercycles, the latest of which has not been completed.

An approach integrating different data sets has been used to map out seismic-velocity ratios in the crust of western North America. High inferred quartz content correlates with tectonic deformation zones. See Letter p.353

This study used interferometric analysis of synthetic aperture radar images to measure postseismic surface deformation after the 2003 Bam, Iran earthquake and shows reversal of coseismic dilatancy in the shallow fault zone that causes subsidence of the surface. Such deformation spread through a fault zone volume may explain the observed shallow slip deficits for some strike-slip fault ruptures.

Non-volcanic tremor was discovered nearly a decade ago; however, a thorough explanation of the geologic process responsible for tremor generation has yet to be determined. A robust correlation is now identified between extremely small, tidally induced shear stress parallel to the San Andreas fault and non-volcanic tremor activity near Parkfield, California. Such tremor may represent shear failure on a critically stressed fault in the presence of near-lithostatic pore pressure.

During supercontinent cycles, deformation of continental lithosphere is observed to be concentrated near the plate boundaries. Global maps indicative of the strength of the lithosphere and its directional dependence show that strain is concentrated at pre-existing zones of weakness.

Shallow parts of megathrusts up-dip of locked patches generally have a high slip rate deficit, which could mean tsunami hazard has been underestimated, according to a stress-constrained inversion of geodetic data.

The interaction between seasonally-induced non-tectonic and tectonic deformation along the Himalayan plate boundary is still debated. Here, the authors propose that seasonal hydrological loading can influence tectonic deformation along this plate boundary using continuous GPS measurements and satellite data.

Landslides are damaging natural hazards and can often lead to unexpected casualties and property damage. Here, the authors conduct geodetic and hydrological data analyses of the Slumgullion landslide, Colorado, and quantify the mass movement to find it fits a power-law flow theory and responds to hydroclimatic variability.

Understanding of the Sumatran subduction zone and its hazards has increased since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. This Review commemorates the 20th anniversary of this event by outlining these insights and how they can inform future strategies to improve tsunami preparedness.

Analysis of the postseismic deformation of the moment magnitude 8.6 Indian Ocean earthquake in 2012 reveals that the asthenospheric layer must be thin and of low viscosity, constraining the structure of oceanic upper-mantle rheology.

Although strong remote aftershocks are exceedingly rare, their rate increased fivefold during the six days following the 2012 east Indian Ocean earthquake, perhaps as a result of the strike-slip nature of the 2012 event or a build up of close-to-failure nucleation sites.

Human-caused groundwater depletion in California’s San Joaquin Valley contributes to uplift of the surrounding mountains and may affect the stability of the San Andreas Fault.