UC Riverside researchers develop method to locate tectonic stress

Researchers from UC Riverside have developed a new method to identify where tectonic stress accumulates along fault lines, potentially pinpointing locations at risk for major earthquakes. While the method cannot predict the exact timing of an event, it aims to locate high-risk zones within subduction zones, where one tectonic plate slides beneath another.

The effectiveness of this approach was supported by the July 2025 magnitude 8.8 earthquake near the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. Geophysicists Axel Periollat and Gareth Funning used GPS technology to measure minute ground movements and created an algorithm to identify blocked sections of faults that act as friction zones, storing energy over many years.

By identifying these energy-storing areas, the researchers hope to better understand where the next significant seismic shifts are likely to occur.