We Might Finally Know a Key Mechanism Behind Our Planet's Biggest Earthquakes 24 DECEMBER 2020 We're learning more about earthquake triggers all the time, but there's also plenty still to find out about how these seismic shifts work. Now, geologists think they've identified a key mechanism behind some of the biggest earthquakes on the planet.
Megathrust earthquakes happen at subduction zones, where one tectonic plate is being pushed under another. They're particularly common around the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and they can also lead to gigantic tsunamis. A new study suggests that a gradual, slow-slip movement deep below the subduction zone could be key to understanding how megathrust earthquakes are triggered, and might potentially improve forecasting models to better predict them in the future.