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Thick cloud cover can completely obscure the surface of the Earth from satellite view, while thinner haze and shadows distort the image of rural and urban regions. As such, many remote sensing images for monitoring climate, crops, and urban growth are only partially usable.

Right now, more than 1.5 miles (2.46 kilometers) below the surface at the South Pole, lie two seismometers—the deepest of their kind—built to withstand the extreme pressure, cold, and magnetic interference in one of Earth’s harshest environments.

Deploying the instruments, which will be part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Global Seismographic Network, was a “hail Mary” expedition because of the challenges faced, said Robert Anthony, a geophysicist in the Earthquake Hazards Program at the USGS who led the National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded project.

The new seismometers help “fill an enormous, continent-scale gap in our high-quality coverage of the Earth.”

“That they’re functioning a mile and a half deep in the ice is just incredible,” he added.

Now that the instruments have been successfully deployed, they’ll start collecting high-quality seismic information that scientists can use to measure earthquakes, detect tsunamis, and even monitor nuclear testing.

The new seismometers help “fill an enormous, continent-scale gap in our high-quality coverage of the Earth,” said Rick Aster, a seismologist at Colorado State University who was part of the technical review process for the seismometers. “Having a good distribution of stations around the world is a great thing for seismology and Earth science.”

Engineering Under Pressure

Creating seismometers that can withstand being buried in an ice sheet took years of planning, dozens of experts across many organizations, and cold, difficult work at the bottom of the world.

Each seismometer sits at the bottom of a borehole drilled as part of an NSF partnership with the USGS Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and IceCube Neutrino Observatory, which had already been installing subsurface instruments to detect subatomic particles. The holes were drilled with hot water, meaning each is still filled with water that is slowly expanding as it freezes. This “violent, chaotic process,” said Anthony, is exerting extreme pressure on the seismometers, which must be capable of withstanding up to 8,500 pounds per square inch (58,605 kilopascals)—nearly 500 times the pressure of Earth’s atmosphere at sea level.

To protect them, each seismometer is held by a pressure vessel, first created for IceCube’s dark matter experiments, that can withstand about 10,000 pounds per square inch (68,948 kilopascals). The seismometers are also protected from magnetic storms, which can be particularly intense at the poles, with a metal covering that redirects the magnetic field around the instruments. 

USGS geophysicist Robert Anthony explains why the South Pole is the perfect place for these two new instruments. Credit: USGS, Public Domain

A scientific instrument company called Nanometrics helped the team determine how to mount the seismometers within the pressure vessels, while IceCube adapted their existing methods to create a system to allow the instruments to receive GPS signals far below the ice sheet’s surface.

“There’s such a high chance of failure, so many things that can go wrong, that it’s amazing that they both were installed and that they’re both functional.” 

The team finally had a fully operational product in July 2025, just 2 months before the shipping deadline to get the equipment to Antarctica. If their engineering solutions had taken just a month longer, the project may not have gone forward, Anthony said. In the 2 months before shipping, the instruments underwent extensive testing at the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory, Michigan State University, and the University of Wisconsin. 

Anthony said he expects the seismometers, deployed during the Antarctic summer on 30 December and 9 January, to freeze fully into the ice within the next few months. Having them deployed is a “huge relief,” said David Wilson, director of the USGS Global Seismographic Network and a geophysicist involved in the project. “There’s such a high chance of failure, so many things that can go wrong, that it’s amazing that they both were installed and that they’re both functional.” 

Seismological Knowledge

The two seismometers will be able to record the movement of the planet after large earthquakes and pick up fainter signals with greater fidelity than any previously deployed instruments. The South Pole is the only place on Earth where seismometers can make such observations without distortion from Earth’s rotation. 

Also, the depth and location of the instruments mean they’re far from any surface noise, such as human activity, ocean waves, or wind. Even changes to atmospheric pressure, such as when storms roll in, can affect seismic data. The deeper seismometers are placed, the less those changes affect the instruments. Firn—dense snow in the process of compressing to glacial ice—also dampens surface noise.

Aster likens the installation of the instruments to astronomers trying to find the darkest sky to observe. “This is a vibrational sensor looking for the vibrationally quietest part of the world,” he said.

And because both seismometers will be frozen into the ice sheet, they will be extremely still and will remain so for a very long time. With such stable seismometers, “you can record minute ground motions, on the order of almost the size of an atom—very, very tiny ground motions,” Anthony said. 

The data from the seismometers could answer long-held questions about seismic activity in Antarctica, such as how its ice sheet is moving over bedrock. In places, the ice sheet could be sticking and slipping “in a way that we can observe at a new level of fidelity” using the new seismometers, Aster said. The instruments will also capture unique measurements of the seismic activity of icebergs off Antarctica’s coast and volcanoes in West Antarctica, he said.

The installation of these instruments showcases the value of having a U.S. science presence in Antarctica, Aster added. The South Pole station provides “an absolutely unique and world-class capability” for the U.S. scientific enterprise, he said.

—Grace van Deelen (@gvd.bsky.social), Staff Writer

Citation: van Deelen, G. (2026), These South Pole seismometers will detect vibrations 1.5 miles under the ice, Eos, 107, https://doi.org/10.1029/2026EO260064. Published on 23 February 2026. Text © 2026. AGU. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.

Several studies have predicted that not all geomagnetic reversals have been discovered, but it was unknown in which periods they might be hidden. Researchers led by the National Institute of Polar Research used a statistical method called adaptive kernel density estimation to model the frequency of geomagnetic reversals at high temporal resolution. Based on the model, they proposed that undiscovered reversals may be hidden in four periods after the Cretaceous Normal Superchron.

Standing on the coast and looking out to sea, you cannot detect the changes with the naked eye. But in northern Germany, sea levels are rising, as is the risk of flooding for the lower-lying coastal regions.

When the supercontinent Pangea began to fragment around 200 million years ago during the Early Jurassic, it reshaped the face of the planet. Vast new oceans opened, continents drifted apart and the familiar geography of today slowly emerged. For decades, many geoscientists have suggested that this dramatic breakup was fueled by an accumulation of heat beneath the supercontinent, a kind of planetary "thermal insulation" effect that caused the underlying mantle (the thick layer of rock between Earth's crust and its core) to grow unusually hot.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have now discovered for the first time that large blackwater lakes in the extensive peatlands of the central Congo Basin are releasing ancient carbon. To date, climate researchers had assumed that carbon was stored safely for millenia in the peat. How the carbon is mobilized from the peat to the lake, where it is finally released to the atmosphere, is still unknown. Climate changes and altered land use, especially the conversion of forest to cropland, could exacerbate this trend—with consequences for the global climate.

Three people were killed in a major failure at a privately owned garbage dump on Friday. Earlier reports of 50 deaths are now believed to have been erroneous.

On 20 February 2026, the Philippines suffered another major garbage landslide, following the tragic events that occurred at Binaliw in Cebu on 8 January 2026, which killed 35 people. This most recent event occurred at Rodriguez in Rizal.

The location of 20 February 2026 landslide is reported to be Sitio 1B Harangan, Barangay San Isidro in Rodriguez. I believe that the landfill is at [14.77036°, 121.15283], although this is unconfirmed. This is a Google Earth image of the site from April 2025:-

Google Earth image of the likely site of the 20 February 2026 garbage landslide at Rodriguez in the Philippines.

PTV has a news article about this event, which includes mobile phone footage, apparently of the aftermath of the landslide. This is a still from that footage:-

The aftermath of the 20 February 2026 garbage landslide at Rodriguez in the Philippines. Still from a video posted to Facebook by PTV.

One person has been confirmed to have been killed in this landslide, and another two are missing. Early reports of up to 50 people being buried have now been dismissed.

The provincial Governor, Nina Ricci Ynares, has written to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to request a probe into the event. The landfill was reportedly owned and operated by International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialist, Inc. (ISWIMS), a private company.

There is a lack of high quality research on garbage landslides, despite their substantial impacts. However, Zhang et al. (2020) provided an interesting review of 62 examples from 22 different countries. They concluded that the following were the most common causes of garbage landslides:-

• High landfill leachate level (40% of recorded cases);
• Inadequate compaction (23%)
• Insufficient bearing capacity of the foundation (19%)
• Low shear strength of the interface between the liner and the garbage (11%)
• Rapid release of landfill gas (6%).

It will be interesting to determine the cause of the garbage landslide at Rodriguez, but I would start with an examination of the compaction of the garbage and the management of water / leachate at the site.

Reference

Zhang, Z. et al. 2020. Global study on slope instability modes based on 62 municipal solid waste landfills. Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy, 38 (12). https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X209534.

Return to The Landslide Blog homepage Text © 2026. The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.

SummaryOceanic transform faults (OTFs) have long been viewed exclusively as vertical, strike-slip structures offsetting mid-ocean ridges, yet their deep geometry and structural complexity remain poorly constrained. Thus, key questions persist, including whether OTFs are single-stranded and continuous, whether they maintain vertical dip angles, if they accommodate mixed-mode slip, and what factors control their geometry. This study addresses these questions through a global statistical analysis of teleseismic earthquake focal mechanisms from 150 OTFs across diverse tectonic settings. We introduce stack maps, a novel method that quantifies fault dip and rake, providing a graphical representation of average focal mechanisms. Our findings reveal that while OTFs tend to conform to the standard vertical, strike-slip model, nearly half exhibit deviations, either in dip or motion, challenging the classical view of these plate boundaries. We identify four distinct OTF categories: (1) those adhering to the standard model, (2) non-vertical faults with transtensive/transpressive components, (3) non-vertical faults accommodating strike-slip motion, and (4) vertical faults with a vertical component of motion. Tectonic regime shifts emerge as a primary driver of structural changes, with non-vertical geometries persisting even after the regime reverts to pure strike-slip motion. This structural memory suggests that fault geometry, once established, remains stable over geological timescales of several tens of Myr. By reconciling previously ’unusual’ focal mechanisms with fault structure and dynamics, this work demonstrates that global seismic catalogues, when analysed statistically, offer robust insights into OTF geometry and tectonic regimes.

SummaryAs a critical category of geophysical data, magnetic anomalies play vital roles in geological interpretation, resource exploration and target detection. For most applications involving magnetic anomaly data, the ideal dataset should have uniformly distributed data points, high resolution and completeness without gaps. However, because of the environmental constraints and measurement limitations, magnetic anomaly data obtained from real-world measurements often fail to meet these requirements. Thus, interpolation techniques present effective and cost-efficient technical approaches for processing measured magnetic anomaly data to meet the aforementioned criteria. To our knowledge, current research on magnetic anomaly data interpolation has primarily focused on gridding methods for interpolating irregularly sampled data into gridded data and super-resolution interpolation methods aimed at enhancing spatial resolution. Meanwhile, studies on interpolation methods specifically designed to fill large-area data gaps remain relatively scarce. To address the challenge of reconstructing large-area missing magnetic anomaly data, we propose a data-driven method for magnetic anomaly data gap filling. First, based on the analysis of the characteristics of magnetic anomaly data, we construct an open-source magnetic anomaly interpolation dataset (MAID) specifically designed for magnetic anomaly data interpolation tasks. Subsequently, we develop a magnetic anomaly data gap-filling generative adversarial network (MADGF-GAN) tailored for magnetic anomaly data gap filling. Upon sufficient training on the MAID training set, MADGF-GAN can directly fill gaps in given magnetic anomaly data. Finally, the effectiveness of MADGF-GAN is validated using four test samples from the MAID test set and Afghan aeromagnetic data. Compared with four existing interpolation methods, MADGF-GAN demonstrates considerable advantages in terms of interpolation accuracy, computational efficiency and practicality. This study demonstrates the potential of data-driven approaches in magnetic anomaly data processing, providing crucial technical support for related geoscientific applications.

SummaryBioleaching is a biologically facilitated process that helps to dissolve valuable metals in order to extract them from the mineral gangue. Applied in the field to heap ores, its efficiency mainly depends on solution flow inside the heterogeneous heaps, which is often tortuous and can remain stagnant in the pores and crevices between the particles. Methodologies that can help to monitor the bioleaching processes are therefore needed to improve operational efficiency. In this article, we present for the first time preliminary laboratory-scale investigations on spectral induced polarization (SIP) during the bioleaching of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) containing ore material from a mine in Chile. Two column experiments representing different stages of the bioleaching process were monitored under un-saturated and highly acidic environment (pH ~2). Our objective was to explore the feasibility of SIP for detecting changes in electrical properties potentially associated with bioleaching-induced mineral dissolution and alteration. The results show a rapid decrease in SIP phase shift and imaginary conductivity during the early stage of bioleaching, while the real conductivity remains relatively stable. At a more advanced stage of bioleaching, the phase response is weaker and more stable. A relaxation time distribution (RTD) analysis was applied to further investigate changes in polarization mechanisms. Prior to bioleaching, the RTD exhibits a well-defined peak consistent with polarization controlled by sulfide mineral grains, whereas after one month of bioleaching the RTD broadens and shifts toward larger relaxation times, accompanied by a decrease in chargeability. This combined evolution suggests bioleaching-induced modifications of electrochemically active surfaces, potentially related to mineral dissolution and the formation of passivation layers. Estimated particle sizes derived from the RTD analysis are consistent with scanning electron microscopy observations. Although, the absence of a dedicated abiotic control column prevents us from attributing these changes unambiguously to bioleaching alone, these results highlight the potential of SIP as a non-invasive, real-time and integrative tool to monitor leaching processes and to identify zones that may remain weakly affected by leaching.

When we dream of landscapes, we might imagine rolling valleys or rugged mountains. But there is a whole landscape hidden from human view: the secret world of the seafloor.

Publication date: 15 February 2026

Source: Advances in Space Research, Volume 77, Issue 4

Author(s): Nizam Ahmad, Darsono, Isdandy Rezki Febrianto, Neflia, Ery Fitrianingsih, Eriko Nasemudin Nasser, Alka Budi Wahidin, Futikhatun Rohmah, Poki Agung Budiantoro, Dede Suhendar

Publication date: 15 February 2026

Source: Advances in Space Research, Volume 77, Issue 4

Author(s): Ziliang Zhao, Xiaofeng Li, Haiyu Gu, Kangjia Fu, Cheng Wei, Yatao Zhao

Publication date: 15 February 2026

Source: Advances in Space Research, Volume 77, Issue 4

Author(s): Zhiguang Shi, Zongyu Zuo, Jiawei Song, Jingchuan Tang, Gang Wang

Tiny aerosol particles in the air play a big role in regulating how much sunlight our planet absorbs or reflects, and how clouds form above us. In a recent study, researchers found that extreme heat waves can trigger new particle formation (NPF), even at temperatures as high as 40°C (104°F).

Scientists say they have drilled deeper than ever beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, peering back millions of years to reveal signs it was once, at least in part, open ocean.

A study led by the University of Barcelona and published in the journal Nature Communications shows that climate change has profoundly altered extreme episodes of melting in the Greenland ice sheet by making them more frequent, more extensive and more intense. Since 1990, the area affected by extreme melting episodes has increased at a rate of 2.8 million km² per decade. Additionally, the production of water from ice melt has increased more than sixfold, rising from 12.7 gigatons per decade to 82.4 gigatons per decade.

Antarctica plays a crucial role in Earth's climate system by reflecting solar radiation back into space. The large white ice surfaces and clouds play a decisive role in this process. However, how clouds actually form in Antarctica, how they interact with the atmosphere and what role aerosols play in this process has not been sufficiently researched to date. Engaging in the SANAT flight campaign, the Alfred Wegener Institute, the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry aim to help close this knowledge gap. The flight-based aerosol measurements conducted in Antarctica are the first of their kind in 20 years and also the first to extend deep into the interior.

Publication date: 15 February 2026

Source: Advances in Space Research, Volume 77, Issue 4

Author(s): Shengjun Guo, Kai Han, Lu Li, Wenbin Gong

Publication date: 15 February 2026

Source: Advances in Space Research, Volume 77, Issue 4

Author(s): Dane Groves, Hendrik Willem Jordaan