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Updated: Jan 26, 2026
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Pattern-based Search of Epigenomic Data Using GeNemo
Published on: October 8, 2017
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Searching for hidden earthquakes in Southern California
Zachary E Ross1, Daniel T Trugman2, Egill Hauksson3
1Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. zross@gps.caltech.edu.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|April 20, 2019
Summary
A new earthquake detection method found 1.81 million earthquakes in Southern California, revealing previously unseen small seismic events. This significantly enhances our understanding of fault zone geometry and earthquake nucleation processes.
Area of Science:
- Seismology
- Earthquake Science
- Geophysics
Background:
- Earthquake catalogs typically underrepresent smaller events due to signal fidelity limitations.
- The power-law relationship dictates that smaller earthquakes occur far more frequently than larger ones.
- Existing seismic networks often miss a substantial number of microearthquakes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To overcome limitations in current earthquake catalogs by detecting previously missed microearthquakes.
- To generate a significantly larger and more detailed earthquake catalog for Southern California.
- To gain deeper insights into fault zone structures, earthquake nucleation, and triggering mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Applied a template-matching detection technique to the complete waveform archive of the Southern California seismic network.
- Processed extensive seismic data to identify a vast number of small seismic events.
Main Results:
- Generated an unprecedented catalog of 1.81 million earthquakes, a tenfold increase over previous catalogs.
- Significantly improved the detection of smaller seismic events, providing richer detail.
- Enabled new observations regarding fault zone geometry at depth and foreshock behavior.
Conclusions:
- The enhanced earthquake catalog provides crucial data for understanding earthquake nucleation and triggering.
- This detailed seismic catalog will advance future research in earthquake science and fault analysis.
- Template matching is a powerful technique for uncovering hidden seismicity.
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