Seismological Society of America

Recent Expansion of the Cascades Volcano Observatory Geophysical Network at Mount Rainier for Improved Volcano and Lahar Monitoring #SRL The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cascades Volcano Observatory recently expanded its monitoring of Mount Rainier, an active volcano in Washington State. This volcano has a history of large lahars, including at least one that might not have been associated with volcanic activity. In the 1990s, Pierce County, at significant risk of lahars, worked with CVO to install the Ranier lahar detection system, which was designed to detect lahars within 5-10 minutes of their occurrence. Since 2016, CVO has worked to upgrade the existing system and expand capabilities. A new paper discusses this expansion. https://lnkd.in/gqWpBybX

Ground‐Motion Modeling of the 2016 Mw 6.2 Amatrice, Italy, Earthquake, by a Broadband Hybrid Kinematic Approach, Including Empirical Site Effects #SRL Central Italy experiences moderate to large earthquakes, like the 2016 magnitude 6.4 Amatrice earthquake that occurred as a result of shallow extension. In a new paper, scientists from Charles University and Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia use a rupture model to simulate seismic waves produced by the Amatrice earthquake up to a frequency of 10 Hz. Then, they simulated ground motions at 400 virtual stations and compared those with predictions of an empirical nonergodic ground motion model for Central Italy (remember that nonergodic means that source, path and site effects are considered). The simulations and predictions showed good agreement. For more, please visit the paper. https://lnkd.in/g_MUGM_T

What will we be talking about in Baltimore next spring? The list of #SSA2025 sessions is now available to browse at our Annual Meeting site. Abstract submissions open 1 December https://buff.ly/3NP0He4

Preface to the Focus Section on Statistical Seismology, Devoted to the Memory of the Late Yan Kagan, Dave Jackson, and Ilya Zaliapin #SRL The new issue of #SRL includes a focus section on statistical seismology. The preface to this focus section honors the lives of three recently departed scientists who inspired this focus section: Yan Kagan, Dave Jackson, and Ilya Zaliapin. Kagan and Jackson were both pioneers in statistical seismology, described as "peas in a pod" by Jackson's wife. While preparing this focus section, the authors were shocked by the passing of Zaliapin, who made his mark on this field by studying the dynamics of earthquake occurrences and modeling the seismic moment rate in the San Andreas fault system. Colleagues, friends, and family: please join us in honoring and remembering these three extraordinary seismologists who leave behind an incredible body of work. https://lnkd.in/gFXpYR84

Applications are now open for #SSA2025 Annual Meeting Travel #Grants! We have a variety of eligible categories, from student to international, so check out the requirements and apply by 30 November https://buff.ly/3Stcdz4 #SeismologyMeeting

🌉New issue of #SRL🌉 The November issue of Seismological Research Letters is here! This issue includes a Focus Section on statistical seismology and probabilistic earthquake forecasting, devoted to the memory three statistical seismologists who passed away in the last few years: Yan Kagan, Dave Jackson and Ilya Zaliapin. The cover image for this issue shows the Sanxiantai bridge in the Taitung region of Taiwan, which links mainland Taiwan to the Island of the Three Immortals. An article by Hsieh et al. in this issue’s Focus Section on Statistical Seismology and Probabilistic Earthquake Forecasting discusses ground shaking forecasting in the region of the 2022 Taitung earthquake sequences. Perhaps this paper or one of the many others in this focus section will help you accurately forecast the shape and number of the unseen arches in the bridge. Or perhaps not, but the Editor-in-Chief encourages you to read on and discover for yourselves. Image credit: iStock.com/xavierarnau Full issue: https://lnkd.in/gHwPh_Dd

SSA President Heather DeShon and Membership Officer Monica L. are at the Asian Seismological Commission 15th General Assembly this week! Be sure to stop by the SSA booth to learn more about free student memberships, travel grants and more.

Resolving the Location and Magnitude of the 1918 Queensland (Bundaberg), Australia, Earthquake #BSSA On June 7, 1918, Eastern Queensland, Australia, was struck by an earthquake. Previous studies based on instrumental observations from Sydney (yes, there were seismic stations operating in 1918!) suggested that the event ruptured off the coast of Bundaberg. However, new research by scientists from Geoscience Australia suggest that the epicenter was, in fact, about 250 kilometers to the northeast of an inland region that experienced both the strongest shaking and numerous aftershocks. In this work, the team revisited macroseismic data from 224 locations. They also incorporated surviving instrumental observations into their analysis. Further, the team estimated that the magnitude was 6.0, making it one of the largest onshore earthquakes in eastern Australia in the past century. This work highlights the importance of primary source material to study historical earthquakes. https://lnkd.in/gcB_-DFb

🌟OPEN ACCESS🌟 What Do We Know Without the Catalog? Eliciting Prior Beliefs from Experts for Aftershock Models #TSR Fitting models to earthquake catalogs can be challenging, particularly if the earthquake catalog is small. An alternative way to get at the values for needed parameters involves talking to experts. For example, expert beliefs on aftershock patterns can be turned into distributions of aftershock parameters, like the epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model. In a new paper, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Norwegian Computing Center illustrate a method by eliciting these ETAS model parameters for the Pacific Northwest, a complicated subduction zone with a relatively small earthquake catalog. The team compares these parameters with those suggested by the ETAS literature for subduction zones elsewhere, and they discuss the implications for aftershock forecasting in this region. https://lnkd.in/gRkye5ka

Join your colleagues for this special event on 13 November! https://buff.ly/4h9IULK