The Berkeley Seismological Laboratory conducts essential research on earthquakes and solid earth processes while collecting and delivering high quality geophysical data.
We provide robust earthquake and hazard information including real-time alerts to the public, in collaboration with our partners.
We enable the broad consumption of earthquake information by everyone while educating and training students at all levels and from all backgrounds.
California earthquake puts early warning system to the test
As sensors picked up the first signs of a strong earthquake jolting the Northern California coast, an alert was blasted to 3 million smartphone users telling them to “drop, cover, hold on.” It was hailed as the biggest test yet of the warning system since its public launch.
From ShakeAlert to smartphones: Earthquake Early Warning now and beyond
Getting notifications to people in the event of an earthquake is a key component of earthquake early warning systems. Apps like MyShake and companies like Google are leading the way.
Dr. Harriet C.P. Lau wins Packard Foundation Fellowship
Dr. Harriet C.P. Lau received a 2022 Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science and Engineering. Lau and her research group will use this generous award to better understand how mantle and crustal deformation influences Earth's climate system over vast timescales.
Shake Alert: Earthquake preparedness w/ Dr. Jennifer Strauss
Dr. Jennifer Strauss discusses earthquake preparedness and how the new Shake Alert system can give emergency response just enough notice to begin preparing to respond.
How San Francisco was devastated by the 1906 earthquake
On April 18, 1906, an earthquake and the fires that followed leveled San Francisco. But from the rubble came advancements in earthquake science and preparedness.
Meet the BSL Postdocs!
What unites them is a common goal to innovate and push boundaries. The Berkeley Seismological Laboratory is honored to welcome these burgeoning scientists on their research journeys.
Is Earth's Core Lopsided? Strange Goings-on in Our Planet's Interior
For reasons unknown, Earth’s solid-iron inner core is growing faster on one side than the other, and it has been ever since it started to freeze out from molten iron more than half a billion years ago, according to a new study by seismologists at the University of California, Berkeley. The faster growth under Indonesia’s...
Widespread Deep Seismicity in the Delaware Basin, Texas, Is Mainly Driven by Shallow Wastewater Injection
Industrial activity away from plate boundaries can induce earthquakes and has evolved into a global issue. Much of the induced seismicity in the United States' midcontinent is attributed to a direct pressure increase from deep wastewater...
