Researchers at Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have taken a great stride in supporting earthquake prevention research by developing a system for seafloor position measurements with centimeter-level precision. Combining the Global Navigation Satellite System–Acoustic and an unmanned aerial vehicle, the proposed system eliminates the need for manned surface vessels.

This paper proposes a new theoretical content and research framework of multi-spheric interaction-driven hydrocarbon formation and enrichment through in-depth analyses of the Earth’s multi-spheric coupling mechanisms and cross-spheric cycling processes of volatiles. It establishes a novel theoretical paradigm for optimizing target prioritization of both mature field revitalization and frontier play assessment.

Earth’s magnetosphere protects us from charged particles constantly emitted by the Sun, but intense conditions can breach it through a process called magnetic reconnection. Now, researchers from Japan propose a novel method using soft X-ray imaging to remotely measure the reconnection rate, a key parameter in magnetic reconnection. This study showcases a powerful tool for forecasting hazardous space weather events, paving the way to safer near-Earth space applications and exploration.

Kyoto, Japan --  During the midday Friday prayer hours on 28 March 2025, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck central Myanmar along the Sagaing Fault. With an epicenter close to Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, it was the most powerful earthquake to strike Myanmar in more than a century and the second deadliest in its modern history.

The cause was a strike-slip fault, in which two masses of earth "slip" past each other horizontally along a vertical fault plane. To an observer, it would look like the ground were split in two along a defined line, with both sides being wrenched past each other in opposite directions.

Previous seismological studies have inferred pulse-like rupture behavior and curved slip paths from the analysis of seismic data. However, because the recording instruments were at a considerable distance from the fault itself, these findings were indirect.