Earthquakes may not be as random as thought, new research suggests
“Any kind of fault can trigger many different types of seismic events,” says François Passelègue, a scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) who has spent the last ten years trying to understand how or why earthquakes occur.
Passelègue recently made a breakthrough in uncovering the rupture mechanisms that eventually lead to seismic shifts.
To study the dynamics of faults – the areas between tectonic plates where most earthquakes occur – the scientist developed an experimental fault mimicking the same temperature and pressure conditions as an actual fault 8km deep. He installed sensors along the fault to identify the factors that cause slow and fast ruptures.
Earthquakes can be either slow or fast. In slow earthquakes, seismic waves can be absorbed by the surrounding earth. They occur frequently but cannot be felt by humans. Extremely fast earthquakes, which are less common, have high-frequency waves that release energy in mere seconds, with potentially deadly consequences.
Until now scientists believed the type of rock might be a factor in the speed of ruptures. But Passelègue’s experiments showed that the amount of energy released during a slip and the period over which it is released depend on the initial strain exerted along the fault line by the shifting tectonic plates. Higher strains triggered faster ruptures and lower strains triggered slower ruptures.
“Most people think that faults that have been stable for a long time will never cause a serious earthquake,” says Passelègue. “But we found that any kind of fault can trigger many different types of seismic events. That means a seemingly benign fault could suddenly rupture, resulting in a fast and dangerous wave propagation.”
Although the model he developed cannot be used to determine when or where an earthquake will occur, his findings suggest earthquakes are not as random as previously thought.
His findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
This content was published on
From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
This content was published on
In mid-May, the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) put hundreds of experts through their paces as part of a tri-national earthquake disaster exercise that took place near Basel. Why Basel? The most devastating earthquake recorded in central Europe occurred here in 1356, with a magnitude of 6.5 to 7.0 on the Richter scale.…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.