Los Alamos machine learning discovers patterns that reveal earthquake fault behavior

Scientists can predict where an earthquake might occur, but predicting when it will occur and how strong it will be has been an intractable challenge. A new artificial intelligence-based method identifies sounds that indicate when a fault is about to rupture. An earthquake occurs when massive blocks of Earth, often near the interface between tectonic plates, suddenly slip along fractures in the earth, or faults. The same stress that holds the rock in place under pressure--friction--builds up to a point that the rocks slip past one another rapidly and forcefully, releasing energy via seismic waves. Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers and colleagues discovered a way to successfully predict earthquakes in a laboratory experiment that simulates natural conditions.