Caltech Seismological Laboratory

Earlier today Dr. Lucy Jones sat down with Dr. Kate Scharer, USGS, to discuss the paper that Kate co-authored regarding the 1000 year high stress on the San Andreas Fault!

And how this is not the end of the world, but just a new understanding of its dynamics.

Thoughts About The Earth Ep. 0 Dr. Lucy Jones sits down with Dr. Kate Scharer to discuss recent ne...

In an ongoing effort to improve public safety, & installed a seismic test station on the campus. This station will be a testbed to improve earthquake monitoring and Earthquake Early Warning.

Attached are a couple of photos that include Kyle Garcia and Ben Dunham during the install.

Sometimes field work comes with the best views. Despite the Sorrento fire being reasonably close, the field crew still got out there and checked on this station to replace an unreliable cell antenna. Working out there gave them some beautiful ocean scenery to work in, and gave us a reliable connection again!

Today we celebrate the graduating students of the Caltech Seismological Laboratory! Congratulations to Dr. Jiaqi Fang, Dr. Jack Wilding, and Dr. Yaozhong Shi!

We are proud of all you have accomplished and grateful for the curiosity, dedication, and enthusiasm that you brought to the Lab. As one journey ends and you take the next steps to begin another, we look forward to seeing the discoveries you make, challenges you tackle, and the impact you will have on science and society.

Congrats Class of 2026! Remember on your exciting new adventures that you will always be part of the Seismo Lab family!

We'd like to share the exciting news that Cijin Zhou is the 2026 recipient of the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) Grant in Crystallography! This is a high honor and recognizes achievements of early career scientists.

The MSA Grant in Crystallography, funded by the Edward H. Kraus Crystallographic Research Fund of the MSA, provides up to $5,000 to support innovative research in crystallography. The competitive grant award recognizes outstanding students and early-career scientists based on the scientific merit, originality, and potential impact of their proposed research

Congratulations, Cijin, on this spectacular achievement!

Large destructive earthquakes near Cuba and the S. Philippines this week have prompted questions on whether they are related. While they occurred close in time, quakes separated by such a distance are almost always unrelated. Multiple M6+/7+ quakes occur globally every year.

These large events should be a reminder to always work on your personal and community preparedness. Our thoughts are with the communities affected by these events.

More on the quakes:
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/earthquake-magnitude-73-strikes-mindanao-philippines-gfz-says-2026-06-07/
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/strong-earthquake-strikes-off-cubas-northwest-coast-2026-06-08/

Powerful Philippine quake leaves at least 32 feared dead, survivors recount fear The death toll in a powerful 7.8‑magnitude earthquake off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday ​has risen to at least 32, with dozens of people injured, disaster officials said, as Manila stepped up search and rescue operations.

Many of our stations, like this one near Westmorland, are spaced throughout the state's deserts and serve a vital role collecting data in our more swarm prone regions! This station contributed heavily to the recent Brawley swarm which produced hundreds of events including multiple M4 quakes!

It's June, and the Seismo Lab and Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) are proud to celebrate and support the LGBTQIA+ scientists, engineers, staff, students, and community members who help advance our understanding of earthquakes and the Earth itself.

Science is strengthened by a diversity in perspectives, experiences, and voices. The work we do, from monitoring and reporting quakes across SoCal to developing new tools and discoveries, is made possible by the people who bring those perspectives to our lab every day.

To our LGBTQIA+ colleagues, friends and supporters: you are seen, valued, and celebrated. Happy Pride Month!