The researchers detailed their findings in a paper published May 26 in the journal
AGU Advances.
What causes deep-focus earthquakes?
Deep-focus earthquakes are earthquakes that occur between 185 and 435 miles below the Earth’s surface. First detected in the 1920s, these earthquakes continue to confound scientists to this day.
“The big problem that seismologists have faced is how it’s possible that we have these deep-focus earthquakes at all,” said co-author Lara Wagner.
Usually, earthquakes occur near the surface after stress builds up between two blocks of rock. When enough stress has accumulated, it causes this pair of rocks to suddenly slip and slide past each other, triggering earthquakes.