{"id":25347,"date":"2025-09-19T14:50:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T21:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=25347"},"modified":"2026-03-16T14:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T21:56:10","slug":"supershear-earthquakes-pose-threat-to-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/supershear-earthquakes-pose-threat-to-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists warn California should prepare for destructive \u2018supershear\u2019 earthquakes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/09\/supershear-earthquake-news_1920x1080-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/09\/supershear-earthquake-news_1920x1080-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/09\/supershear-earthquake-news_1920x1080-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Metal infrastructure hangs from a broken freeway overpass\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  A section of Southern California freeway stands in ruins following a major earthquake. (Image source: USGS.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=science-and-technology\">Science and Technology<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Scientists warn California should prepare for destructive \u2018supershear\u2019 earthquakes<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Researchers at the Statewide California Earthquake Center based at USC Dornsife say powerful, fast-moving quakes could strike the Golden State, urge stronger building codes and better monitoring.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">USC Dornsife News<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">September 19, 2025<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>Most Californians are familiar with earthquakes. But researchers say the state faces an overlooked threat: \u201csupershear\u201d earthquakes that move so fast they outrun their own seismic waves.<\/p>\n<p>In an <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1785\/0220250118\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">opinion piece<\/a> published in <em>Seismological Research Letters<\/em>, scientists at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences warn that these quakes produce more violent shaking over larger areas than typical earthquakes, and California must update its hazard planning and building codes to reflect the heightened risk of damage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile California is no more likely to have supershear earthquakes than other, similar regions with large fault systems like the San Andreas, the threat has gone unnoticed for too long,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/yehuda-ben-zion\/\">Yehuda Ben-Zion<\/a>, professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/earth\/\">Earth sciences<\/a> and director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scec.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Statewide California Earthquake Center<\/a> (SCEC), based at USC Dornsife. \u201cThe frequency of these supershear ruptures has been greatly underappreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9SLAzT4vHn4?si=u10lpfUBeZ_VuMUB\" title=\"L.A. Could See Damaging Supershear Earthquake, Scientists Warn \" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Scientists compare supershear earthquakes to sonic booms. Just as a jet breaking the sound barrier creates an explosive shock in the air, a supershear rupture generates shock fronts in the ground when it outpaces seismic shear waves, said Ahmed Elbanna, professor of Earth sciences and director-designate of SCEC. \u201cIt breaks the shear wave speed barrier in the rocks and produces destructive waves that are stronger than what\u2019s generated by a normal earthquake,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>That added force can hit communities hard. Supershear quakes spread strong shaking farther and deliver what Elbanna calls a \u201cdouble strike\u201d \u2014 an initial jolt from the shock front followed by the trailing waves.<\/p>\n<p>Worldwide, about one-third of large strike-slip earthquakes are supershear. That matters in California, where many faults near large metropolitan areas are strike-slip and capable of magnitude 7 or higher temblors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe cannot say exactly when and where the next earthquake will be and which one will be supershear,\u201d Ben-Zion said, \u201cbut we can say with certainty that over the next few decades, we will have multiple magnitude 7 earthquakes in California.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are coming, whether we are prepared or not,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>The authors warn that current design standards don\u2019t fully account for a supershear quake\u2019s extra punch. Buildings and infrastructure are generally engineered for the strongest shaking perpendicular to faults, but supershear quakes direct their energy along the fault line itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCritical structures should be built to this higher standard, and so far, they are not,\u201d Ben-Zion said.<\/p>\n<p>To prepare, the team calls for denser monitoring near major faults, advanced computer simulations of supershear scenarios, and stronger building codes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a collaborative effort where everybody has to chip in,\u201d Elbanna said. \u201cAnd I think here at USC and SCEC, with their reputation in the community, this is the right time and right place to get this effort started.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elbanna and Ben-Zion co-authored the opinion piece with researchers from Caltech and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.<\/p>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s Note: Darrin S. Joy contributed to this article.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/giqbYRVn5v4\" \n         target=\"_blank\"                 class=\"\" \n      >\u2018Trojan Talks\u2019: USC President Beong-Soo Kim talks with Assal Habibi<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a 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monitoring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":25533,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,24],"tags":[159,207,87],"class_list":["post-25347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-and-technology","category-social-impact","tag-earth-sciences","tag-earthquakes","tag-expert-viewpoint"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Scientists warn California should prepare for destructive \u2018supershear\u2019 earthquakes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"USC Dornsife researchers say powerful, fast-moving quakes will strike the Golden State, urge stronger building codes and better monitoring\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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