Upper-mantle earthquakes beneath East Antarctica.
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| Title: | Upper-mantle earthquakes beneath East Antarctica. |
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| Authors: | Ho, Long M. (AUTHOR), Sánchez-Roldán, José L. (AUTHOR), Hansen, Samantha E. (AUTHOR), Walter, Jacob I. (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Science. 5/28/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6801, p942-945. 4p. |
| Subjects: | Earthquakes, Geophysical observations, Antarctic ice, Geological strains & stresses, Imaging systems in seismology |
| Geographic Terms: | East Antarctica (Antarctica), Antarctica |
| Abstract: | Intraplate intermediate-depth earthquakes (IDEs) occur at depths >70 kilometers, which is well below the brittle‒ductile transition in Earth's crust, and their origins are difficult to reconcile with traditional plate tectonics. We applied a deep-learning technique to regional seismic data and identified intraplate IDEs beneath Antarctica. Their occurrence can be explained by concentrated bending stresses resulting from variable, thermally driven uplift along the edge of East Antarctica, where there is an abrupt change in lithospheric strength. Our results support geodynamic model predictions that intraplate seismicity strongly depends on lithosphere‒asthenosphere interactions. The Antarctic ice sheet can also affect regional stress conditions, highlighting the complex interplay between Earth systems. Advanced seismic detection capabilities, such as those used here, could reveal that intraplate IDEs are more common globally than currently recognized. Editor's summary: Better detection is broadening our understanding of where and how earthquakes occur away from plate boundaries, especially those at surprisingly large depths. Using data from arrays across East Antarctica, Ho et al. applied transfer-enhanced deep learning to build an event catalog of about 1000 moment magnitude 1.6 to 3.5 earthquakes beneath David Glacier. Half of the events were located to depths of 70 to 150 kilometers, and they seemed tied to flexure and stress gradients around a boundary between the warm and cold lithosphere beneath West and East Antarctica, respectively. Their confinement to the mantle beneath David Glacier also suggests a role for glacial loading. —Angela Hessler [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Intraplate intermediate-depth earthquakes (IDEs) occur at depths >70 kilometers, which is well below the brittle‒ductile transition in Earth's crust, and their origins are difficult to reconcile with traditional plate tectonics. We applied a deep-learning technique to regional seismic data and identified intraplate IDEs beneath Antarctica. Their occurrence can be explained by concentrated bending stresses resulting from variable, thermally driven uplift along the edge of East Antarctica, where there is an abrupt change in lithospheric strength. Our results support geodynamic model predictions that intraplate seismicity strongly depends on lithosphere‒asthenosphere interactions. The Antarctic ice sheet can also affect regional stress conditions, highlighting the complex interplay between Earth systems. Advanced seismic detection capabilities, such as those used here, could reveal that intraplate IDEs are more common globally than currently recognized. Editor's summary: Better detection is broadening our understanding of where and how earthquakes occur away from plate boundaries, especially those at surprisingly large depths. Using data from arrays across East Antarctica, Ho et al. applied transfer-enhanced deep learning to build an event catalog of about 1000 moment magnitude 1.6 to 3.5 earthquakes beneath David Glacier. Half of the events were located to depths of 70 to 150 kilometers, and they seemed tied to flexure and stress gradients around a boundary between the warm and cold lithosphere beneath West and East Antarctica, respectively. Their confinement to the mantle beneath David Glacier also suggests a role for glacial loading. —Angela Hessler [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00368075 |
| DOI: | 10.1126/science.aea9895 |
