seismology Archives - State of the Planet

Ivan Tolstoy, Who Elucidated Travels of Sound Through Oceans and Air, and Helped Map Seabeds, Dies at 99

From beginnings as an exile from the Russian Revolution, a life spent studying geology and long-distance acoustics at sea and in the atmosphere.

by |April 4, 2023

At a Melting Glacier, a Landslide, Then Tsunami, Signal Climate-Related Threat

A peculiar seismic signal was the first indication of a gigantic landslide and subsequent tsunami in the remote mountains of British Columbia. It detected what may be a growing climate-related threat.

by |April 6, 2022
The Matterhorn, a 4,478 meter peak that straddles the borders of Switzerland and Italy.

The Matterhorn: Alive With Vibrational Energy

In a recent study, researchers found that the Matterhorn is constantly swaying to the seismic energy of earthquakes and ocean tremors felt around the world.

by |March 24, 2022

A Morning That Shook the World: The Seismology of 9/11

Seismologist Won-Young Kim heard the first reports of the World Trade Center attacks while driving to work. Soon, he would be enmeshed in helping figure out exactly what happened, and when.

by |September 8, 2021
seismometer reading shows glof

Seismic Monitoring May Improve Early Warnings for Glacial Lake Outburst Floods

A new study finds that real-time monitoring of ground motion could have detected a sudden and catastrophic flood in Bhutan five hours before it destroyed a village.

by Sarah Fecht and Ben Orlove |September 16, 2020

A Seismologist Present at the Discovery of Plate Tectonics

Lynn Sykes, a pivotal figure in the development of plate tectonics, discusses a new memoir of his career.

by |June 6, 2019
lynn sykes portrait

Renowned Seismologist Lynn Sykes Receives Honorary Doctorate from Columbia University

Sykes helped to establish plate tectonic theory in the 1960s. He is professor emeritus at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

by |April 6, 2018
R/V Langseth ship passing under Golden Gate bridge

Lamont-Doherty Receives Donation of Marine Seismic Technology Upgrades

A generous donation from leading geoscience firm CGG Inc. will advance the research capacities of the Langseth research ship.

by |March 16, 2018
seismograph could record hurricane intensity

Seismic Sensors Record Hurricane Intensity, Study Finds

New line of information could help predict the storms’ future strength under climate change.

by |January 8, 2018

Ear to the Ground, Listening for Nuclear Blasts

Seismologist Lynn Sykes has been working for more than 50 years to halt the testing of nuclear bombs. In his forthcoming book, Silencing the Bomb: One Scientist’s Quest to Halt Nuclear Testing, Sykes provides an insider’s look at the science behind detecting explosions, and international efforts to establish a series of treaties.

by |November 27, 2017