The Tectonics Observatory (TO) is a multi-disciplinary center at the California Institute of Technology. We aim to understand the behavior and properties of the Earth's surface and underlying layers (the lithosphere), covering topics such as earthquakes and mountain building. See below for news of some of our recent discoveries, or visit our Schools and Public Education pages.

Research Highlights


Japan’s March 11, 2011 Tohoku Earthquake - Study reveals surprising findings: The length of the rupture was significantly smaller than expected for such a large earthquake. More...


Superficial Simplicity of the 2010 Baja California Earthquake - While it is commonly thought that the geometry of an earthquake fault is more complicated on the surface of the Earth than at depth, this new study reveals just the opposite. More...


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Recent News


Two scientists visit 6th grade class - Postdoc Katie Snell and graduate student Luca Malatesta visited a 6th grade class at Holy Redeemer Middle School in Montrose. They led activities on plate tectoincs and mountain building.

Did Foo Fighters Show Really Cause Geological Tremors? - Victor Tsai, assistant professor of Geophysics at Caltech, tells E! News that it isn't that unusual for large gatherings of people to cause such tremors (Eonline)

The TO held its 8th annual meeting in November - A lively group of about 90 people attended. The 70 or so poster contributions were grouped by theme. More...


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Last updated: January 23, 2012 | Contact Us

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