Scientists identify almost two million previously 'hidden' earthquakes
Thursday, April 18, 2019 - 13:30
in Earth & Climate
Pouring through 10 years' worth of Southern California seismic data with the scientific equivalent of a fine-tooth comb, Caltech seismologists have identified nearly two million previously unidentified tiny earthquakes that occurred between 2008 and 2017.Their efforts, published online by the journal Science on April 18, expand the earthquake catalog for that region and period of time by a factor of 10—growing it from about 180,000 recorded earthquakes to more than 1.81 million. The new data reveal that there are about 495 earthquakes daily across Southern California occurring at an average of roughly three minutes apart. Previous earthquake cataloging had suggested that approximately 30 minutes would elapse between seismic events.