AI finds hidden slow slips on California's San Andreas fault
Scientists just used AI to spot hidden aseismic activity on California's San Andreas Fault: stuff we couldn't feel or see before.
By digging into data from 2009 to 2016, they found "slow-slip events": tiny shifts in the earth that can last minutes or even months but go totally unnoticed in daily life.
Slow slips linked to low-frequency quakes
Turns out, these slow slips are linked to low-frequency earthquakes deep underground (under 20km down).
That connection could help explain how stress builds up for major quakes.
Lead researcher Zahra Zali said AI helped them find patterns regular tools missed, and co-author Patricia Martinez-Garzon noted the finding was a big step for earthquake science.
The team now hopes to use these AI tools worldwide to learn even more about how earthquakes work.