Subduction zones create the largest, most destructive earthquakes on the planet, but many mysteries remain about the plate tectonic boundaries where these quakes originate. One such boundary lies deep beneath the seafloor off Alaska—one of the most seismically active zones in the world. This area has produced fatal earthquakes and tsunamis similar to the recent one in Japan.
Credit: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
In 1964, the second largest quake ever recorded happened here, and other parts of the fault may be building energy for another event. Shillington will describe how seismic data collected last summer aboard Lamont-Doherty’s research vessel, the Marcus G. Langseth, can image the Alaska subduction zone and provide better constraints on its potential for earthquakes.
Mapping the Source of Great Alaskan Earthquakes from Lamont Doherty on Vimeo.
Contacts and sources:
by Lamont Doherty
Mapping the Source of Great Alaskan Earthquakes from Lamont Doherty on Vimeo.
Contacts and sources:
by Lamont Doherty
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