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New model of fluid distribution in the Cascadia Subduction Zone helps understanding seismic activity

A new three-dimensional model of the fluid stored deep within the Earth’s crust along the Cascadia Subduction Zone provides new insights into how the accumulation and release of such fluid can affect seismic activity in the region. The liquid collects near but does not penetrate the thickened section of crust known as Siletzia lying beneath much of western Oregon and Washington. The pressure associated with this fluid could be a factor in the seismic phenomenon known as episodic tremor and slip, or ETS, said Gary Egbert, an electromagnetic geophysicist at Oregon State’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences and lead author of the new paper. detail the findings. Episodic tremors and slips are fault behaviors that include localized non-volcanic vibrations and slow slip events that may occur over hours or days. It occurs throughout the Cascadia Subduction Zone, from northern California to British Columbia, but is less frequent and intense under the Siletzia central core, wh

After Years of Searching, Physicists Observe Electrons Flow Into Whirlpools Like Liquids

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For the first time, physicists have witnessed something very interesting: electrons form eddies like liquids. This behavior is one that scientists have long predicted, but never observed before. And that could be the key to developing next-generation electronics that are more efficient and faster. “Electron vortex is expected in theory, but there is no direct evidence yet, and seeing is believing,” said one of the researchers behind the new study, physicist Leonid Levitov of MIT. “Now we’ve seen it, and it’s a clear sign of being in this new regime, where electrons behave as liquids, not as individual particles.” While electrons flowing in a vortex might not sound like a breakthrough, it’s a big deal because flowing like a liquid results in more energy being sent to the end point, instead of being lost on the way while the electrons are pushed around by things like impurities in matter or vibrations in atoms. “We know that when an electron enters a liquid state, [energy] dissipation d