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Wyoming Craton

All articles tagged with #wyoming craton

science27 days ago•34 min saved

Utah Quakes Reveal Surprising Mantle Movements Beneath the Craton

Scientists reviewing a 1979 northern Utah quake (magnitude 3.8) and eight later deep earthquakes have confirmed they originate in the upper mantle, dozens of miles below the crust, near the Wyoming Craton. The findings, published in The Seismic Record, suggest mantle flow around the craton triggers these deep continental earthquakes, a type of seismic activity that operates very differently from crustal quakes and may vary greatly in size over geologic timescales, underscoring how much about deep Earth remains to be learned.

via Yahoo News New Zealand|

#earthquakes #mantle #science

science1 month ago•8 min saved

Utah's Deep Mantle Quake Redefines Where Quakes Can Happen

University of Utah researchers reanalyzed decades of seismic data and confirmed that a 1979 Utah quake originated about 90 kilometers below the surface, revealing a rare continental mantle earthquake (CME) class. Their work, complemented by a 2025 Maeser event, shows these deep quakes occur in the mantle near the Wyoming Craton and Moho, challenging decades of assumptions about where earthquakes can originate beneath continents and informing mantle dynamics and seismic hazard assessment.

via ScienceDaily|

#continental-mantle-earthquakes #mantle-earthquakes #moho-boundary

science1 month ago•3 min saved

Utah’s Hidden Mantle Quakes Signal a New Deep‑Earth Tremor Class

Researchers have identified a new class of deep, mantle-origin earthquakes in Utah—bursts that occur far below the surface, often with little or no felt shaking—starting from the 1979 Randolph event. By linking several deep events (nine documented cases and a 2025 Utah quake), scientists suggest these quakes nucleate at great depths near the Wyoming Craton, behaving like high‑temperature, viscous molten material. While surface damage is typically low, understanding these mantle quakes is crucial for evaluating seismic hazard and limits of potential magnitudes.

via Gizmodo|

#deep-earthquakes #mantle-earthquakes #science