A new study published in Nature has found that tectonic plates may change directions rapidly, or “wobble,” several months before a massive quake is released.¹ Scientists are not sure why, but it may lead to a future breakthrough in earthquake predictions.

Recently, a new study published in Scientific Reports outlined a novel method to predict volcanic eruptions.¹ However, the technique only seems to work on a site-by-site basis and requires a tremendous amount of eruption data, more information than most volcanoes usually provide.

Tim Clarey, Ph.D., and Frank Sherwin, M.A.

March went out with a jolt in central Idaho. March 31 saw a magnitude 6.5 earthquake strike about 45 miles west of the town of Challis at about 6:52 pm local time.¹ The recent quake was about 100 miles northeast of the city of Boise and about 325 miles north of the recent 5.7 magnitude near Salt Lake City, Utah.

On March 18, 2020, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake shook the Salt Lake City area. Specifically, it hit underneath the town of Magna, Utah. Since that time, over 650 aftershocks have continued to rumble through the rocks beneath the town. Three aftershocks reached about 4 in magnitude, 20 about 3 in magnitude, and 122 around 2 in magnitude.¹