Scientists eye novel way to monitor strength of earthquake faults

October 1st, 2009 SYDNEY - Scientists have determined that the tsunami that devastated the islands of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga in 2004 was the result of a shallow rupture in the earth's crust. The earthquake, which was measured as high as 8.3 on the Richter scale, occurred 190 kilometres southwest of American Samoa.

October 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - US seismologists have found evidence that the massive 2004 earthquake that triggered killer tsunamis throughout the Indian Ocean weakened at least a portion of California's famed San Andreas Fault, which suggests that large quakes can weaken fault zones worldwide. The results suggest that the Earth's largest earthquakes can weaken fault zones worldwide and may trigger periods of increased global seismic activity.

October 1st, 2009 Earthquake reported in Central CaliforniaLOS ANGELES — The U.S. Geological Survey has reported a moderate earthquake in Central California.

September 30th, 2009 Study says China quake a once in 4,000 years eventBEIJING — China's devastating earthquake last year that left some 90,000 people dead or missing was caused by a geological event that occurs about once every 4,000 years, a study led by Chinese researchers said Sunday. Researchers said the 7.9-magnitude quake was caused by the breaking of solid rock separating major fault segments, allowing the quake to cascade along multiple faults.

September 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have developed a new technique that uses data collected from earthquakes, potentially allowing the Earth's seismic activity to be mapped more comprehensively. Scientists from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, developed the new method.

August 31st, 2009 LONDON - A five-strong group of scientists have developed a new technique that can monitor movements beneath the earth's surface to help understand how earthquakes behave. The scientists, led by Andrew Curtis, Professor of Mathematical Geoscience at Edinburgh University, used computers to simulate the motion of one earthquake at the location of another to discover more in-depth information about underground movements.

August 29th, 2009 Weak SC earthquake rattles communitiesSUMMERVILLE, S.C. — The U.S.

August 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research by scientists from the University of Arizona (UA) in Tucson has determined that some slow-moving faults may help protect some regions of Italy and other parts of the world against destructive earthquakes. Until now, geologists thought when the crack between two pieces of the Earth's crust was at a very gentle slope, there was no movement along that particular fault line.

August 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists are using a technique called "ambient noise correlation," to observe significant changes in the behavior of parts of Earth's crust that were disturbed by three major earthquakes. University of Illinois seismologist Xiaodong Song and graduate student Zhen J.

August 18th, 2009 Earthquake rolls across southeastern Colo. plainsLAMAR, Colo.

August 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An ocean-drilling expedition in Japan has come across new evidence related to the origin and evolution of earthquakes. The expedition is being conducted as part of the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE), which is long-term scientific ocean-drilling project conducted by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP).

August 10th, 2009 USGS: huge earthquake hits in Indian OceanWASHINGTON —U.S. officials on Monday reported that a huge 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean and issued a regional tsunami watch for India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh that was lifted later.

July 22nd, 2009 WELLINGTON - An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale Wednesday pushed the South Island of New Zealand closer to Australia, scientists said. The epicenter of the quake was located at the Fiordland region of South Island.

June 30th, 2009 France found faults with crashed Yemeni planePARIS — France's transport minister says French aviation inspectors found a "number of faults" during a 2007 inspection of a plane that has crashed in the Indian Ocean. The passenger jet from Yemen with 153 people on board crashed Tuesday as it tried to land during heavy wind on the island nation of Comoros.

May 4th, 2009 GUATEMALA CITY - A strong earthquake rattled Guatemala Sunday, with a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale, but there were no reports of injuries or damage. The earthquake struck at a depth of 104 km and took place about 68 km west of Guatemala City, the US Geological Survey reported.