Earthquakes are a frightening phenomenon, but as a physical phenomenon, they are also full of mysteries, making accurate predictions difficult. Since I began studying earthquakes in 2019, I have been aware of the challenges in contributing to society with each seismic disaster. Nevertheless, I have gradually deepened my scientific understanding of earthquakes. During my PhD and postdoctoral research, I try to clarify the various properties of earthquakes, from large to small, and from fast to slow, using seismic activity and waveform analysis. By gaining a more comprehensive understanding of earthquakes, I hope to contribute to improved forecasting methods in the future.

1. Seismic Observations: Multi-scale Seismic Characterization

Seismic observations are fundamental to understanding earthquake physics, as seismic waves across different frequency bands reflect nucleation processes. My research therefore encompasses not only conventional (fast) tectonic (-volcanic) earthquakes, but also slow earthquakes, including low-frequency earthquakes and tectonic tremors. 1) Tectonic earthquake. 2) Volcanic earthquake. 3) Slow earthquake.

2. Waveform Analysis: Insights into Earthquake Source Processes

Beyond applying advanced algorithms to detect earthquakes with diverse characteristics, I leverage waveform analysis and modeling to gain deeper insight into the physical processes governing earthquake generation. 1) Earthquake onset. 2) Novel slip behavior. 3) Source mechanisms of slow earthquakes.

3. Earthquake Physics: Triggering Mechanisms

My overarching goal is to advance the understanding of earthquake physics through the analysis of seismic observations and waveforms. Continuous natural periodic loading, such as solid Earth tides, modulates seismic activity and offers an effective approach to investigating how periodic stresses influence earthquake triggering. I have developed a set of analytical tools and workflows to quantify tidal modulation of seismicity, and applied them to a long-term, highly complete earthquake catalog in Southern California (Lu et al., 2025, JGR:SE). This approach allows us to constrain the effective background stress in the region. Our results indicate that both the background stress level and the amplitude of tidal loading play key roles in controlling the sensitivity of earthquakes to tidal forcing.

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