Subduction zones feature a large elevation difference between the deep oceanic trench and the high mountains on land, which causes stress in the upper plate. We investigate how the topographic stress affects the aftershock seismicity of large subduction earthquakes using analytical and numerical stress models. We show that topographic stress has a large influence on aftershock seismicity and promoted most of the seismicity after the Tohoku-Oki (Japan) and Maule (Chile) earthquakes.

We revised the conceptual model of the Solfatara magmatic–hydrothermal system and used new geothermometers and geobarometers, specifically calibrated for the Solfatara fluids, to monitor temperature, T, and total fluid pressure, P, in three distinct reservoirs at different depths, over ~40 years. The T and P changes in the intermediate reservoir (at 2.7–4 km depth) are of utmost interest because its pressurization–depressurization acts as the “engine” of bradyseism currently affecting the area.

This study demonstrates that for slow earthquakes in the shallow Nankai subduction zone, (1) the seismic velocity reductions in the accretionary prism reflect the stress field changes due to the slow earthquakes, and (2) the temporal variations in the heterogeneous structure correspond to upward fluid migrations from the source region of the slow earthquakes.

We investigate women's representation in seismology to raise awareness of existing gender disparities. By analysing the authorship of peer-reviewed articles, we identify lower representation of women among single authors, high-impact authors, and highly productive authors. Seismology continues to be a male-dominated field, and trends suggest that parity is decades away. These gaps are an obstacle to women’s career advancement and, if neglected, may perpetuate the leaky-pipeline problem.

Infrequent eruptions of acidic magma are one of the most dangerous natural phenomena, but almost none of them have been witnessed by modern science. We present the first systematic characterization of seismicity recorded near an erupting acidic volcano (Cordón Caulle 2011). We define different phases of unrest and eruption, which combined with previous findings allows us to discuss the main processes associated with this type of violent eruption, with implications for their volcanic hazard.