Caltech Seismological Laboratory

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 30 Nov 2025 - 06 Dec 2025. There were 293 events this week ranging from M -0.17 to 3.20. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

Happy December! Throwback to some fieldwork in Idyllwild, where the pine trees around this station bring the winter atmosphere to California all year long! #FieldPhotoFriday

#FieldPhotoFriday We all know that weather doesn't cause earthquakes, RIGHT?!, but it can affect seismic stations. From flooding, to wind, fires, and more, our stations are out in the elements. Recent storms blocked the sun long enough to show us that this station may need some battery maintenance!

Here's an oldie but goodie, a derpy hand turkey from a couple years back! Happy Thanksgiving from the Caltech Seismo Lab Family! #Thanksgiving #turkey

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 16 Nov 2025 - 22 Nov 2025. There were 249 events this week ranging from M 0.12 to 3.73. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

With the shutdown over, our USGS partners, half of the SCSN, are back in the field!

One of their first stops: a remote station that had its electronics stolen. Hard to know why, since most parts are only useful for seismology, but it’s a reminder of the challenges for the SCSN!

#FieldPhotoFriday

Meet Eliseo Banda, a Seismo Lab Staff Member who specializes in software engineering for the community seismic network (CSN)! Another fun fact about Eliseo is that he's an experienced DnD Dungeon Master and is leading a group of lab members on their first campaign! #SeismoLabSpotlight

Weekly Earthquake Stats: 09 Nov 2025 - 15 Nov 2025. There were 212 events this week ranging from M 0.12 to 2.94. Check out our weekly playback map and visit www.scsn.org for detailed information. #earthquakes #seismology #SCSN #weeklystats @CaltechSeismo

#FieldPhotoFriday from our station near Hector Mine! Installed in 1997, two years before the 1999 Hector Mine earthquake. It recently got a new battery. Getting up the steep, sketchy road was no small feat, but the crew made it just in time before this week’s rain rolled in!

Brent Minchew - Environmental Science and Engineering I study how glaciers and ice sheets respond to climate change. I am most interested in understanding the mechanisms that will govern rates of sea-level rise in the coming decades and centuries. I am…

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

Adam and Ruth having some silly fun with the photo booth

Mustaches everywhere!

What's in the Box?!

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

Improvements from incorporating machine learning algorithms into near real-time operational post-processing - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Improvements from incorporating machine learning algorithms into near real-time operational post-processing

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.

Let’s get ready, stay safe, and make sure we’re all better prepared for when shaking starts. We'll be posting tomorrow from the 2025 International ShakeOut Day media event in Los Angeles. Make sure you check social media and the news for info, tips, and techniques you can apply to stay prepared!

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.

Home Page - Cal MyHazards California Governor's Office of Emergency Services ....

🤕 Practice your own “Drop, Cover, Hold On” drill — especially with kids or vulnerable household members
🗺️ Know your local hazards using resources like myhazards.caloes.ca.gov

Home Page - Cal MyHazards California Governor's Office of Emergency Services ....

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