Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Planetary Geophysics and Seismology
First Empirical Measurement of k G on Mars via InSight/ELYSE Seismic Data: A Two-Planet Validation of the Gasque Compliance
Published: 2026-04-01
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology
We present the first empirical measurement of the Gasque compliance index k G = π × f₀ / (Q × V s ) on Mars, using 8.3 GB of InSight/ELYSE broadband seismic data (XB network, 2019–2022) processed with the Harmonic Matched Filter (HMF) pipeline. From 4,645,686 stacked PSD windows and 91 candidate frequencies tested via permutation (N = 1,000), five spectral features are recovered at p < 0.05, [...]
The Hermatz Effect: A Five-Layer Solar–Geo Dynamo Model for the Persistent 0.038 Hz Global Seismic Signal
Published: 2026-03-30
Subjects: Astrophysics and Astronomy, Atmospheric Sciences, Condensed Matter Physics, Earth Sciences, Environmental Chemistry, Fluid Dynamics, Geology, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Hydrology, Meteorology, Oceanography, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Other Astrophysics and Astronomy, Other Physics, Planetary Geology, Planetary Geomorphology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Hydrology, Tectonics and Structure, The Sun and the Solar System
Earth produces a faint but globally detectable vibration at a period of exactly 26 seconds, and no one has fully explained why. This paper proposes that it comes from a crack in the ocean floor off West Africa acting like a tuned whistle — the ocean blows air through it, the crack vibrates at its natural frequency, and the vibration travels around the entire planet as a seismic wave. Occasionally [...]
Frictional weakening in the highly mobile 2025 Blatten (Switzerland) rock–ice avalanche
Published: 2026-03-17
Subjects: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Dynamics and Dynamical Systems, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Geotechnical Engineering, Multivariate Analysis, Numerical Analysis and Computation, Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing, Planetary Geomorphology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Risk Analysis
Cascading slope failures in alpine environments are intensifying as glaciers retreat and slope stability adjusts to a warming climate. Yet, the mechanisms governing such large, rapidly evolving events remain poorly understood. The 28 May 2025 rock–ice avalanche from Birch Glacier, Switzerland ($\approx9.3\times10^{6}~\mathrm{m^3}$), which devastated part of the village of Blatten, provides a [...]
Effect of chemical disequilibrium during metal-silicate partitioning on the thermal state of the early core
Published: 2025-11-05
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Geology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology
In this study, we improved a previously published numerical model linking the core composition to the core temperature during accretion by introducing the possibility of chemical disequilibrium during the segregation of the core in the magma ocean phase. Our study shows that at least 60% of the accreting metal needs to be equilibrated in order to obtain a chemically coherent Earth, thus favoring [...]
Earth hit twice - The hypothesis of planetary rearrangement of the lithosphere by impact and interference waves
Published: 2025-04-26
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Planetary Geology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Sciences
This study presents the impact-antipodal-interference hypothesis as a new model of planetary-scale crustal deformation. By analysing the distribution and properties of three megastructures - the Mariana Trench, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the Amazon Basin - it is demonstrated that their formation may be linked to large-scale cosmic impacts and the seismic wave interference occurring within [...]
A New Interpretation of Ptolemy's Germania Magna: Employing Computer-Assisted Image Distortion of a Medieval Map by Donnus Nicolaus Germanus to Examine Post-Glacial Geodynamics in Europe
Published: 2025-02-02
Subjects: Geology, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Nature and Society Relations, Other Astrophysics and Astronomy, Other Earth Sciences, Other Geography, Other Planetary Sciences, Planetary Geology, Planetary Geomorphology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure, The Sun and the Solar System
This paper revisits Claudius Ptolemy's depiction of Germania Magna through a multidisciplinary approach, integrating computer-aided distortion analysis of Donnus Nicolaus Germanus's medieval cartography with geological insights. The study proposes that the region underwent significant and complex transformations, likely influenced by tectonic activity, such as the reactivation of the Caledonian [...]
Constraining Earth's core composition from inner core nucleation.
Published: 2024-08-02
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Mineral Physics, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Mineral Physics, Planetary Sciences
The composition of Earth’s core is a fundamental property of the Earth’s deep interior, defining its present structure and long term thermal and magnetic evolution. However, the composition of the core is not well understood, with several combinations of light elements being able to satisfy the traditional constraints from cosmochemistry, core formation and seismology.The traditional view of [...]
Mantle avalanches in a Venus-like stagnant lid planet
Published: 2024-06-28
Subjects: Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Mineral Physics, Planetary Sciences
Stagnant lid planets are characterized by a globe-encircling, conducting lid that is thick and strong, which leads to reduced global surface heat flows. Consequently, the mantles of such planets can have warmer interiors than Earth, and interestingly, a pyrolitic mantle composition under warmer conditions is predicted to have a distinctly different mantle transition zone compared to the [...]
Grüneisen parameter formalism in the study of the Earth's core formation: a sensitivity study
Published: 2024-03-21
Subjects: Condensed Matter Physics, Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Mineral Physics, Other Earth Sciences, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Mineral Physics, Planetary Sciences
The Grüneisen parameter is an important parameter for the thermal state and evolution of the core, but its uncertainties and their implications are sometimes overlooked . Several formalisms using different parameters values have been used in different studies, making comparison between studies difficult. In this paper, we use previously published datasets to test the sensitivity of modeling the [...]
AxiSEM3D - an introduction to using the code and its applications
Published: 2024-03-19
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology
Welcome to the wonderful world of AxiSEM3D, a flexible, high-performance computational method for solving the elastodynamic wave equation in three-dimensional, hetereogeneous media. It has been used in seismology for the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, and many of other rocky planets and moons of the Solar System. In this manual, we will explore the practicalities of using this code, touching on the [...]
Estimates on the possible annual seismicity of Venus
Published: 2023-03-31
Subjects: Planetary Geophysics and Seismology
There is a growing consensus that Venus is seismically active, although its level of seismicity could be very different from that of Earth due to the lack of plate tectonics. Here, we estimate upper and lower bounds on the expected annual seismicity of Venus by scaling the seismicity of the Earth. We consider different scaling factors for different tectonic settings and account for the lower [...]
Linking the core heat content to Earth's accretion history
Published: 2023-03-26
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Geochemistry, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology
In this study we use a parameterized model of differentiation in a magma ocean setting, in which the magma ocean depth evolves during accretion, to predict the composition of the primordial core. We couple this chemical model to a thermal evolution model of the accreting metal to estimate the Earth's core heat content at the end of its formation. We find geochemically consistent models. All these [...]
Can homogeneous nucleation resolve the inner core nucleation paradox?
Published: 2023-03-24
Subjects: Condensed Matter Physics, Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Mineral Physics, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Mineral Physics
False positives are common in single-station template matching
Published: 2023-02-17
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Sciences
Template matching has become a cornerstone technique of observational seismology. By taking known events, and scanning them against a continuous record, new events smaller than the signal-to-noise ratio can be found, substantially improving the magnitude of completeness of earthquake catalogues. Template matching is normally used in an array setting, however as we move into the era of planetary [...]
Comment on "Estimates on the Frequency of Volcanic Eruptions on Venus" by Byrne & Krishnamoorthy (2022)
Published: 2022-12-01
Subjects: Other Planetary Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Planetary Geology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Sciences
Byrne & Krishnamoorthy (2022) estimated the frequency of volcanic eruptions on Venus by scaling the eruption frequency obtained from a database containing Earth data. In reproducing their study, I found that the estimated number of new and ongoing volcanic eruptions on Venus in a given year is approximately 42, instead of the previously reported 120 eruptions. This updated estimate of Byrne & [...]