Welcome to the Seismo Lab, Dr. Brent Minchew! A Caltech alum, U.S. veteran, and now professor of geophysics, Dr. Minchew has expertise in ice dynamics, remote sensing, and Earth system processes. We’re honored to have him back and thank him for his service, and scientific discovery! buff.ly/YuNviGM

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 02 Nov 2025 - 08 Nov 2025. There were 215 events this week ranging from M 0.18 to 3.33. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

This week’s #FieldPhotoFriday is near Big Pine. One of the oldest seismic stations in the SCSN, Installed in 1932 and operated from a building more than 100 years old, it recently received new equipment to keep high-quality data flowing. A historic site still hard at work for seismic safety today!

Last week, Dr. Husker (SCSN Manager and Caltech Seismo Lab Prof.) was invited to present on the SCSN at the Mexican Geophysical Union (UGM) annual meeting in Puerto Vallarta. He also experienced Día de los Muertos celebrations, taking in the culture, traditions, and beauty of this day of remembrance

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 26 Oct 2025 - 01 Nov 2025. There were 250 events this week ranging from M -0.20 to 3.85. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

#EQ History: 10/16/99 M7.1 Hector Mine. The EQ was in such a remote area there was no nearby town that could be used as its name. It was named after an open pit quarry 14 miles NW of epicenter. Its foreshocks were in the same location as a cluster of 1992 Landers EQ aftershocks.

Happy Halloween from the Seismo Lab family! Wishing everyone a fun and safe night of costumes, candy, and community. Let’s hope no tricks or tremors are summoned this Hallows Eve. Stay prepared and enjoy the night!

Gloomy weather gave the perfect Halloween vibe for last week’s field work! Several elements of this seismic station near Mammoth were upgraded, despite encountering a large snake inside the vault! Who needs haunted houses when the earth is full of spooky surprises? #FieldWorkFrights #HappyHalloween

Our Halloween Morning Social (Mon, Oct 27) brought the Seismo Lab together for some stamp-rally fun, photobooth smiles, tasty treats, and new connections! Huge thanks again to everyone who joined and helped make it happen. Some photo highlights below. #SeismoLab #Halloween

What a fantastic turnout for the Seismo Lab’s first-ever Halloween Morning Social! 🎃 From the stamp rally and trick-or-treating stops to the photobooth, snacks, and great company! It was all treats and no tricks. Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun, and Happy Halloween from the Seismo Lab team!

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 19 Oct 2025 - 25 Oct 2025. There were 229 events this week ranging from M 0.10 to 3.24. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

We're well into spooky season and this #FieldPhotoFriday’s station fits right in! Out near a long-abandoned desert mine, our crew worked alongside crumbling ruins, scattered debris and some history to replace a solar panel torn off by fierce winds. A quick repair brings this lonely site back online!

Meet Mo Hu, a Seismo Lab Grad Student who specializes in integrating geodynamic modeling with mineral physics to better understand seismic observations of the deep Earth! #SeismoLabSpotlight

The SCSN now uses machine learning as part of daily operations! Tools like PhaseNet and GaMMA boost pick & event accuracy, improving how we detect & locate earthquakes in SoCal. Read more in our new @Nature Scientific Reports article: buff.ly/ZC2CJON #Seismology #MachineLearning #SCSN

Happy #FieldPhotoFriday! Our field crew has been working hard to update multiple pieces of equipment at this station near Ventucopa, and a new datalogger finally got everything up and running. This maintenance keeps our network up to date and ready for shaking, so we can all be better prepared!

What a #ShakeOut day! After a morning of drills and outreach, Allen (SCSN Manager), Jessie (EEW Scientist), and Zack (Seismic Analyst) joined partners at the City of LA EOC, making new connections and strengthening others across CA. Huge thanks to Margaret Vinci & team for such an impactful event!

A successful #ShakeOut press conference today at the City of LA EOC! Agencies, scientists & leaders, from the Governor’s & Mayor’s offices to LAFD, SCEC, Red Cross, USGS, Caltech & many more came together to promote safety, preparedness & collaboration for a more resilient California.

Mark your calendar! Tomorrow, Thursday at 10:16 a.m., wherever you are — drop, cover, and hold on. Share your #ShakeOut drills, photos, or tips. Tag us and use #GreatCAShakeOut so we can amplify preparedness across the community.

Here are some proactive steps you and your family can take: 📲 Download and enable apps/alerts like MyShake and Wireless Emergency Alerts, more info here: buff.ly/64Fd7sz 🎒 Create or update your go-bag / emergency supply kit 🗄️ Secure heavy or tall furniture, shelves, and objects that could fall

At the Caltech Seismo Lab and SCSN, we’re proud to support the state’s earthquake preparedness efforts and encourage you to participate in this year’s ShakeOut event! When: Thursday, October 16 at 10:16 a.m. PST What: Practice “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” life-saving moves you can do wherever you are!

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 05 Oct 2025 - 11 Oct 2025. There were 328 events this week ranging from M -0.34 to 3.47. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

#FieldPhotoFriday With the weather cooling a bit, lets show at a site that is normally pretty hot, looking lush through years of field visits! This station near Murrieta is in a nursery so it's always got a good view of the city and greenery! I'm sure the crew likes the change.

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 28 Sep 2025 - 04 Oct 2025. There were 206 events this week ranging from M 0.17 to 3.18. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

Congratulations to longtime USGS field tech Scott Lydeen on his retirement! Scott spent decades maintaining & upgrading SCSN stations across SoCal, always innovating and working hand-in-hand with Caltech staff. His legacy lives on, not least at the seismic site named after him. Thank you, Scott!

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 21 Sep 2025 - 27 Sep 2025. There were 304 events this week ranging from M -0.27 to 3.28. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

Today’s #FieldPhotoFriday takes us to the desert near the Brawley Seismic Zone, where one of out our seismic stations recently received a new datalogger. Fieldwork in these conditions can be tough, but thanks to the combined efforts of Caltech Seismo Lab and USGS staff, the network stays strong!

This morning's M4.3 quake near Berkeley, CA sent clear waves across the SCSN. Watch how the waves arrived, even at over 300 miles away to our closest stations! buff.ly/Q4LwDvz And don't forget that if you felt shaking, report it here in "DYFI": buff.ly/8VxJvlQ

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 14 Sep 2025 - 20 Sep 2025. There were 316 events this week ranging from M -0.24 to 3.58. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

#EQHistory: Today marks the 40th anniversary of the 1985 M8.0 Michoacan, Mexico, earthquake. Causing widespread damage and loss of 9500+ lives, many in the greater Mexico City area, this event was the impetus for creating Mexico's Earthquake Early Warning system, the first world's public EEW system.

#FieldPhotoFriday Not all of our seismic stations are out in the desert or up in the mountains, a vast amount are actually in or on state, federal, or private properties like schools, fire stations, museums, and more! Like this station near New Cuyama at a school, recently visited and updated!

SCSN manager Allen Husker has had a busy week! In addition to the last post's activities, he's been in meetings with Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, District 1, Oregon about appropriation, and a trip to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to see the LEMS (buff.ly/JD2CQ0u) that are set to go to the moon!

This week SCSN manager Allen Husker is in Washington DC along with a delegation from West Coast universities involved in #ShakeAlert.

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 07 Sep 2025 - 13 Sep 2025. There were 404 events this week ranging from M -0.21 to 3.69. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

#FieldPhotoFriday Recently the crew got to go somewhere different than the desert! Up in the mountains of Santa Barbara one of our stations needed new batteries and a new datalogger. Excellent work as usual keeping our massive network reliable and ready for any shaking!

This year one of our EQ Fellows groups took their research to SCEC! Abellaine, Parisa, Flora, and Jacob presented their poster "On the Origin of Seismic Signals from Concerts and its Potential Use to Monitor Stadium Health" and gained valuable experience! EQ Fellows Program: buff.ly/KrHJG5P

The SCEC Annual Meeting kicks off this week in Palm Springs! Members of the SCSN and Caltech Seismo Lab are attending, presenting, and collaborating with colleagues across the earthquake science community. buff.ly/1FJngtZ

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 31 Aug 2025 - 06 Sep 2025. There were 365 events this week ranging from M -0.45 to 2.97. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

M3.5 10km N of #LaVerne, CA, #SouthernCalifornia #Earthquake confirmed valid. Updated analysis coming soon @ buff.ly/YnlVPfk And make sure if you felt it that you fill out the DYFI page on the USGS! buff.ly/wXQMPcu

#FieldPhotoFriday Another week, another hot desert trip for the field crew. Our station out near Needles needed some preventative maintenance to make sure it is up and ready whenever the shaking starts! A highlight of these trips are the unmatched sunrise and sunset views. Photos from past visits.

#FieldPhotoFriday With SoCal's diverse landscape, sometimes it looks like the field crew is working on another planet! Last week they went out to the desert near Blythe to replace and upgrade equipment that was showing some wear due to the harsh Colorado Desert environment. Great work as always!

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 17 Aug 2025 - 23 Aug 2025. There were 318 events this week ranging from M -0.37 to 2.86. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

Prof. Mark Simons of the Caltech Seismo Lab (under the Caltech sign), lead of the solid Earth contingent for the NISAR mission, attended the satellite’s launch in India and deployment activities at JPL. Mission overview: buff.ly/vrdYxvV Launch: buff.ly/pBz5nuX Reflector deployment: buff.ly/9bPCw74

#FieldPhotoFriday Station CI.HDH located near Tejon Ranch recently got some TLC. The team swapped out a data logger, batteries and even had to reset the "lightning suppressor" to get the GPS clock back in line after some malfunctions. Operating since 2015, here are some pics of the original install!

What's this? A ShakeAlert shoutout on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?! Glad to see they got the answer right, and hope you would too! buff.ly/xZxNFmV Visit buff.ly/IfHIw8I for more info on the program and make sure to get the applicable app for your area!

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 10 Aug 2025 - 16 Aug 2025. There were 326 events this week ranging from M 0.00 to 3.51. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

#FieldPhotoFriday Out in the desert, our team regularly visits our remote seismic stations. These stations are invaluable to the Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN), delivering critical data that helps us detect and analyze earthquakes within seconds.

New Caltech study conducted by Jean-Philippe Avouac’s group and led by postdoctoral fellow Solène Antoine sheds light on potential SAF scenarios. Satellite data shows strike-slip faults can rupture much farther than expected, reminding us The Big One may not look like the last. buff.ly/ky4Bqfc

ScienceStuff podcast recently visited the Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) for a chat with SCSN Director Dr. Allen Husker and USGS seismologist Dr. Elizabeth Cochran, to dive into the science (and myths) of earthquake prediction. A quake even happened during the interview!

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 03 Aug 2025 - 09 Aug 2025. There were 412 events this week ranging from M -0.50 to 3.87. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

#FieldPhotoFirday This station CI.RUN out near Glamis has had it's work cut out for it this week with all of the eqs happening throughout SoCal! It is sending data back to us reliably thanks to the hard work of our field crew who recently had to visit to replace equipment, luckily before this heat!