Alka Tripathy-Lang
Science Communicator | Writer | Editor | Social Media Manager | Former dater of rocks | Ph.D. in Geology | Exerciser | Food lover | Parent | Partner | she/her
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangOk, positive scientific thing (for a change): We're going to talk about the work of Yale seismologist Maureen Long, because her work is focused on the most direct evidence of mantle flow and convection we can get. Her career essentially defines our direct knowledge of mantle flow.
- For @highcountrynews.org's latest issue on Deep Time, I reviewed 3 books that help us explore Earth's past in different ways: Basin and Range by John McPhee, Strata by @laurapoppick.bsky.social, and When the Earth was Green by @restingdinoface.bsky.social 🧪⚒️ www.hcn.org/issues/58-1/...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangGood morning everyone. My 3D printed lidar-derived volcano tissue box covers are now for sale in my Etsy store. Majority are of Lawetlat'la (St Helens), Tahoma (Rainier), Wy'east (Hood), Kweq' Smanit (Baker), Kohm Yah-mah-nee (Lassen) and even one Salton Sea mud volcano. ⚒️ phaneritic.etsy.com
- A new Temblor article talks about how Alaska's Connector Fault, which recently ruptured in the M7 earthquake on Dec. 6, was found and included in Alaska's seismic hazard map *before* the earthquake. ⚒️🧪
- An earthquake that struck a remote part of Alaska on December 6, 2025 serves as an example of successful seismic hazard assessment. Temblor co-founders Ross Stein and Volkan Sevilgen discuss the event and consider both previous and future fault interactions. temblor.net/earthquake-i...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🌋⚒️📹💥
- #AGU25 is coming up, and there's lots of neat research that'll be presented. I got to talk to some great scientists about work that pertains to sending people to the Moon and Mars for @eos.org! ⚒️🧪
- Could processed astronaut poop help plants grow on the Moon and Mars? A new study presented at #AGU25 explores this and more, by @dralkatrip.bsky.social. eos.org/articles/fun...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangAs a long-time reader of @theopennotebook.bsky.social, I was happy to contribute to this article and be on the "other side" of the interview. Thank you @skylerdware.bsky.social for the opportunity. Lovely to hear how others are diversifying their work.
- 😮 Full disclosure, I have not read the paper yet. I've only read the abstract and scanned the figures. ⚒️
- A giant Miocene landslide in the Wasatch Range, Utah - Geosphere paper. pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geospher...
- Double, double, toil and trouble... oh wait no. Bubbles, spatter, lava and tremor, there we go! For @earthscope.org, I dove into a paper that used drone footage from Geldingadalir's lava lake + seismic data to explore the source of volcanic tremor. ⚒️🧪 www.earthscope.org/news/bubbles...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangRight on schedule! More than 10,000 tiny tremors (not felt) have rolled through #PugetSound and southern #VancouverIsland over the past 30 days. This is Episodic Tremor and Slip (ETS) and occurs here every 12-16 months: www.earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/pprs-pprp/pu... Also - it is #ShakeOut day! ⚒️🧪
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangOxidised (left) and unoxidised 3.2 billion year old banded iron formation. These samples are from drill core and were only a couple of meters apart. #geology #paleontology
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang"we propose this Potassium-40 deficit represents primitive proto-Earth mantle domains that largely escaped mantle mixing after the [moon-forming] giant impact and exist in the present-day deep mantle, contributing to some modern hotspot volcanism" ⚒️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- My latest for @earthscope.org combines Silurian reef systems with seismology! The highlighted research looks at how to parse noisy seismic data from a single station in the Chicago area. ⚒️🧪 www.earthscope.org/news/chicago...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangTomorrow is ShakeOut! On October 16 you can join geologists from the @cageosurvey.bsky.social at Tech Interactive in San Jose and in the California Natural Resources Agency Building as we talk about earthquake science and how to be earthquake ready.
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangI'm incredibly honored to be a part of this team and proud of this award!!! But I'm just a very small part of this program. Anita Marshall @bakingsodavolc.bsky.social deserves all the credit for the idea, the passion, the grunt work, and for its success!!! ⚒️🧪🔭
- My latest for @earthscope.org, a dive into mapping sediment thickness across the US with Transportable Array data! ⚒️ www.earthscope.org/news/a-new-m...
- For @temblorinc.bsky.social, @beccapox.bsky.social writes about interesting new developments in tsunami early warning using prompt elastogravity waves, a small-amplitude, fast-moving seismic wave. ⚒️🧪
- Tsunami early warning systems offer important information about impending waves. New systems, like one that uses prompt elastogravity signals (or PEGS) can increase the timeliness and accuracy of warnings. For more, check out Temblor's latest, by @beccapox.bsky.social temblor.net/earthquake-i...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangThis earthquake was originally reported as a magnitude 4.6 but was downgraded to a magnitude 4.3. Remember, there is a trade off between speed and accuracy. As more data becomes available the initial reports are likely to be adjusted to reflect our improved understanding. Feature not bug.
- What went well, and what needs to be improved when it comes to major earthquakes that shake Istanbul? In @temblorinc.bsky.social 's latest, experts explore aspects of a recent M6.2 earthquake that shook the city and reportedly caused panic. 🧪⚒️
- In April of 2025, a M6.2 earthquake struck along the northern branch of the North Anatolian Fault Zone in Turkey's Marmara Sea. The capital city of Istanbul sits on the northern shores. In our latest, experts dive into the details. temblor.net/earthquake-i...
- How does insurance work when it comes to events like tsunamis? This short Temblor article describes one way path, built on NOAA's tsunami monitoring efforts. 10 days after the Kamchatka tsunami hit Samoa, the country received a payout from PCRIC. ⚒️🧪
- Just 10 days after the Kamchatka tsunami hit the shores of Samoa, the island nation received a payout from the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company. Temblor played a role in this process. temblor.net/earthquake-i...
- Long but interesting! Check out @temblorinc.bsky.social's latest on the July 2025 Kamchatka earthquake, in which Temblor scientists look at stress transfer associated with 2 foreshocks. They also compare the mainshock to a similar 1952 quake, explore some tsunamis, and consider an eruption. ⚒️🧪
- Temblor's analysis of the July 2025 magnitude 8.8 Kamchatka quake explores some mysteries (a moderate tsunami, a curious eruption), and finds that the 10-day foreshock was exceptionally productive. temblor.net/earthquake-i...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang📣 SSA is seeking nominations for the Editor-in-Chief of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America #BSSA. Nominations are open through October 2025. ⭐ Full Job Description: www.seismosoc.org/news/ssa-see... ⭐ Nomination Link: www.seismosoc.org/publications...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangJMARS VIRTUAL TRAINING: New User Introduction Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 9am-1pm MST. This is intended for New Users interested in learning the basics of JMARS software. Please sign up to participate at: tinyurl.com/mum73suk DEADLINE for registration is September 9th!
- Yes, yes I do want to see this new geologic map!
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🔥PRESS RELEASE🔥Revisiting an Enigma on California’s North Coast: The Mw 6.5 Fickle Hill Earthquake of 21 December 1954 #BSSA What lies beneath Fickle Hill? The answer may help solve an earthquake mystery that has puzzled seismologists for decades. PAPER: pubs.geoscienceworld.org/ssa/bssa/art...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangFinally got a chance to process some of my backpacking photos from Late July. I hope to share some pretty photos and general geoscience descriptions of the area in the coming weeks. For now, here’s a sunset reflection on a small pond next to Lower Golden Trout Lake in the John Muir Wilderness.
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangDuring a tsunami warning we always caution that a tsunami arrives as a series of waves and the first arrival is not always the largest. Larger tsunami arrivals can occur hours later. We can see this from the recent M 8.8 Kamchatka earthquake.🧪
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangI'll be on sabbatical starting January 1, 2026, and if anyone is looking for a guest speaker for department seminars, I'm happy to discuss possible dates. Reskeet widely! 🧪⚒️
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🚨 JOB ALERT 🚨 Please share with your networks! Branch Chief of Watershed and Climate Resiliency for the California Geological Survey calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangSince people are still doing it and I'm going to have time to kill until I figure out what to for the rest of a chaotic week that promises to have lots of little pockets of down time: 1 like = 1 opinion about subducting slabs.
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangI am glad @evanbush.bsky.social used this quote in this excellent @nbcnews.com story. This is a key message I really wanted to get across in interviews today. Article here: www.nbcnews.com/science/scie...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Langthe California Geological Survey has prepared a survey to gather your observations from the M8.8 Kamchatka, Russia Tsunami If you have been able to make any observations of the tsunami or of the evidence left behind by tsunami, we want your information: survey123.arcgis.com/share/76979d...
- Great article with comments by @diegosismologo.bsky.social, @acarrerac.bsky.social, @seismo-steve.bsky.social and @judithgeology.bsky.social. Though the tsunamis weren't as massive as past events, people evacuated because of timely warnings and accurate forecasting of when/where waves would arrive.
- Another earthquake story from @sciam.bsky.social by the always-excellent @squigglyvolcano.bsky.social explaining why the tsunami from the Russia quake wasn't as huge as the one from the 2011 Japan quake, for example. 🧪
- Per @squigglyvolcano.bsky.social: "It looks like there won’t be a high number of casualties—and that’s in part because “the warnings went out, and they were effective,” Melgar says: people got out of danger."
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangLook at that hydrograph! This is from a USGS monitoring well in Christiansburg, Montgomery County, VA. Observation well 27F2 SOW 019 is 450' deep, completed in carbonate rocks of the Elbrook Formation and well known for its response to quakes. ⚒️🧪 Data: waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-l...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangPer Tsunami.gov, the largest tsunami heights were: 5.7ft at Kahului, Maui 4.9ft at Hilo, HI 4.0’ at HALEIWA HI 3.7’ at Crescent City, CA. Complete list and wave periods are linked: www.tsunami.gov/events/PHEB/...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang[This post could not be retrieved]
- Temblor's map of the magnitude 8.8 Kamchatka earthquake has been posted. Wishing everyone in the Pacific coastal region a safe night on high ground as the tsunami waves come in. ⚒️🧪
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangThe Earthquake Insights article about the Mw8.8 Kamchatka earthquake is, as always, really informative. ⚒️🧪 #geology open.substack.com/pub/earthqua...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangWatch the seismic waves from the magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia sweep beneath seismic stations in North America. By the time the waves reached North America, they are far too small to be felt by people, but can still be detected by seismic instruments. 🧪
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang⚒️ 🧪 A M8.8 earthquake just ruptured the subduction zone offshore Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula. This is one of the world’s truly huge earthquakes, and a triggered tsunami is currently traveling across the Pacific ocean. This same fault ruptured on July 20th in a M7.4, and last August in a M7.1.
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangThe magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula is tied for the 6th largest ever recorded by modern instruments. Check out how the ground moved near you using our Station Monitor app ⬇️ loom.ly/LvUPs2g
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangToday's M8.8 (orange circle) and the 1952 M9.0 epicentral locations, separated by only 73 years. I wouldn't have thought that possible! Average recurrence intervals don't tell the full story. ⚒️
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangWhat governs whether the next big Cascadia earthquake will rupture the entire margin or stop partway? In our @weareseismica.bsky.social paper led by Jonatan Glehman, with Thomas Ulrich, Marlon Ramos, Yihe Huang, & Eric Lindsey, we link geodetic slip deficit models to 3D dynamic rupture simulations..
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🔥JULY ISSUE OF #SRL🔥 In the latest issue, dozens of articles span topics ranging from earthquake source parameters to an exploration of "Did You Feel It" reports. Also included are articles in the Electronic Seismologist section and Data Mine section. ⚒️ pubs.geoscienceworld.org/srl/issue/96/4
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangWatch the seismic waves from today's magnitude 7.3 Alaska earthquake ripple across seismic stations in North America. More ➡️ loom.ly/kaJp5I0
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🔥OPEN ACCESS+PRESS RELEASE🔥The 28 March 2025 Mw 7.8 Myanmar Earthquake: Preliminary Analysis of an ∼480 km Long Intermittent Supershear Rupture#TSR ⚒️ A study of the recent Myanmar earthquake suggests supershear for some sections, reaching speeds of 5 to 6 km/s. www.seismosoc.org/news/first-a...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🌟OPEN ACCESS🌟 Quantitative Evaluations of Earthquake Early Warning Performance Using “Did You Feel It?” and Post‐Alert Surveys #TSR ⚒️ Scientists use surveys collected after earthquakes to explore how to improve the U.S. ShakeAlert system. pubs.geoscienceworld.org/ssa/tsr/arti...
- The fault that ruptured in Myanmar's recent earthquake isn't the only seismic hazard to be wary of. In new research, scientists look at faults in the Golden Triangle, which includes parts of Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. For more, check out my latest for EarthScope 🧪⚒️
- A recent study of the hidden seismic hazards within the Golden Triangle region of Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar found new faults and interesting patterns in the depths of the fault motion. Read more ➡️ loom.ly/mlwS5G0
- Seems like this new book is rather timely. I reviewed Atomic Dreams, a book that the pros, cons and history of nuclear energy in the US, for @sciencenews.bsky.social. 🧪 www.sciencenews.org/article/nucl...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🌟OPEN ACCESS🌟In a new #TSR paper, scientists evaluate the potential for deep learning methods to distinguish between single-fired borehole explosions and earthquakes at distances of less than 300 kilometers. ⚒️ buff.ly/GEZemRA
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🌟New issue of #BSSA 🌟 featuring a SPECIAL SECTION on Improving Measurements of Earthquake Source Parameters ⚒️ This issue of #BSSA includes 39 articles, many of which are based on a curated aftershock dataset of the M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake. pubs.geoscienceworld.org/bssa/issue/1...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangGeology Word of the Day! Laterite - An older term for a highly weathered red subsoil or material rich in secondary oxides of iron, aluminum, or both, nearly devoid of bases and primary silicates, and commonly with quartz and kaolinite. ⚒️🌎🪨🌋📚❄️⛏️🌊🏔️🦕🔥⏳
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- Our CEO, Ross Stein, along with career coach Ellen Shulman, will be giving a member workshop about career transitions. This is available to @seismosocam.bsky.social members. Please consider joining, especially if you are an early career scientist!
- Scientists in the Philippines note similarities between Myanmar's Sagaing Fault and the Philippine Fault. This article serves as a reminder that such faults lurk around the world and people in earthquake country must be prepared.⚒️🧪 temblor.net/earthquake-i...
- In this comprehensive analysis, experts from the Philippines explore the past, present, and future of the Philippine Fault, a left-lateral strike-slip fault similar to the Sagaing Fault in Myanmar that ruptured in March. ⚒️ temblor.net/earthquake-i...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🌟OPEN ACCESS🌟 Mining can induce earthquakes that are usually of relatively smaller magnitude than natural events. A new #TSR paper looks at clustering and seismicity rate methods, focusing on a potash mine in Saskatchewan. ⚒️🧪 buff.ly/QGNowfN
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangWell worth clicking through to Read the letter. A very good, clear & concise description of the tangible benefits that are at risk. Every science program being gutted should follow this model. 🧪⚒️🌋🫨
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang⚒️ calling all geoscientists! It is vital we make our voices heard. These programs (like so many others) are vital to keeping thousands of people safe from natural hazards!!
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangTemblor CEO Ross Stein, Paul Segall, Greg Beroza, and Ahmed Elbanna are urging Congress to reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program and the National Volcano Early Warning System. Add your signature. Public support is welcome. Do not sign if you work for a U.S. federal agency.
- Support earthquake and volcano science by adding your signature! ⚒️🧪
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangTemblor CEO Ross S. Stein and career coach Ellen Shulman will be giving an immersive online workshop during in June called "Navigating Career Transitions" sponsored by @seismosocam.bsky.social. ⚒️🧪 Please visit the link for more information. www.seismosoc.org/jobs/ssa-con...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangThis loop of the surface rupture is absolutely mesmerizing. I’ve spent the entire week so far watching the whole video repeatedly, and each time I discover something new. ⚒️ 🧪
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang📖 NEW #SRL ISSUE📖 The cover shows a turquoise lake in the Huaytapallana mountain range of the Peruvian Andes. A paper by Tavera et al. discusses the collection of seismic data from a temporary network in this region. What a field site! ⚒️ pubs.geoscienceworld.org/srl/issue/96/3
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🌟OPEN ACCESS🌟What's causing the increase in seismicity in the Eagle Ford shale of Texas? A new #TSR study says that although hydraulic fracturing is the main factor wastewater disposal is also a trigger. ⚒️ pubs.geoscienceworld.org/ssa/tsr/arti...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangNew paper out by my team, led originally by the late Jasper Konter, an amazing human being and scientist, and with important contributions from the late Paul Wessel, both of whom we lost during review. The whole team stepped up to get this paper to the finish line. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- For @earthscope.org, I talked to @seismosue.bsky.social about her recent earthquake ghost story (published in @seismosocam.bsky.social's #SRL) and graduate student Oluwaseyifunmi Adeboboye, who helmed separate work looking at a curious, possibly comparable swarm elsewhere in South Carolina. ⚒️🧪
- It's been 10 years since the 2015 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake that killed and injured thousands. @seismosue.bsky.social and her NSET colleague, Surya Narayan Shrestha, reflect on what happened, the recent seismic history of the region, and what's been learned. ⚒️🧪
- On the ten year anniversary of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake that struck Nepal, Surya Narayan Shrestha and @seismosue.bsky.social explore what happened and what's been learned in the decade since. temblor.net/earthquake-i...
- Need some tips to prep for West Coast quakes? This piece by @debi-kilb.bsky.social, @inseismoland.bsky.social, John Rekoske and Duncan Agnew has some advice, as well as a great discussion of the April 14 M5.2 Julian earthquake. ⚒️🧪
- In Temblor's latest, @scrippsocean.bsky.social scientists discuss last week's M5.2 Julian earthquake. It caused little damage, but reminds residents in earthquake country to be prepared! Also, don't miss the fantastic animation of simulated ground motions. temblor.net/earthquake-i...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangStory time! Back when I had just started volunteering at the USGS Pasadena I was in the lobby talking with Linda Curtis when a woman I recognized walked in. I recognized her from my college textbook.
- Included in this article about the recent quake near Istanbul is a closer look at the relationship between the 2019 M5.7 Marmara Sea quake and the M6.2 event. ⚒️🧪
- Here's Temblor's analysis of the M6.2 earthquake that struck the Marmara Fault near Istanbul. This quake was felt by a city of nearly 16 million people, but thankfully, the fault itself lies 15 km south of the city. Read more, in our latest, by Stein and Sevilgen. temblor.net/earthquake-i...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangM5.2 outside of Julian. Did you feel it? Report it! There will be felt aftershocks. If you feel earthquake, shaking drop down to the ground, take cover underneath the sturdy object and hold on until the shaking has stopped. earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-LangRegional #seismic networks are the backbone of #earthquake safety in the U.S., and funding them is critical. Find out why with @uussquake.bsky.social @caltechseismo.bsky.social @usgs-shakealert.bsky.social University of Memphis CERI and Oklahoma Geological Survey buff.ly/D8Orzut
- Microearthquakes in one of the many salt domes in Louisiana helped a team explore the dome's structure in detail. These salt domes store oil and gas, and may one day store hydrogen; they must do so safely.🧪⚒️
- A sinkhole famously opened up in a Louisiana bayou in 2012, swallowing entire trees—above salt caverns used for natural gas storage. A recent study used seismic imaging to find weaknesses in these salt structures. Read about it ⬇️ loom.ly/I4OnEKI
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🧪⚒️ Starve what was Earth’s 3rd largest lake by damming the rivers that feed it, and even the mantle responds. “We find a long-wavelength uplift of up to ~7 mm yr–1 between 2016 and 2020 that decays radially from the Aral Sea”
- Reposted by Alka Tripathy-Lang🌟OPEN ACCESS🌟Examining the Effects of Basin Interfaces on Ground Motions with Lab‐Based Seismic Data Obtained Using a 3D‐Printed Basin Model #TSR ⚒️ 3D printing helps scientists explore how basins amplify seismic waves and change ground shaking. pubs.geoscienceworld.org/ssa/tsr/arti...
