University of California Berkeley News

California Balcony Fall Victims Win Partial Settlement

The victims of a balcony collapse in Berkeley, California, that killed six college students have reached a settlement with some of the companies they sued in 2015. The settlements are confidential, said lawyers for the families of the students who …

New Smartphone App Detects Ground Shaking, Could Create Global Seismic Network

University of California, Berkeley, scientists are releasing a free Android app that taps a smartphone’s ability to record ground shaking from an earthquake, with the goal of creating a worldwide seismic detection network that could eventually warn users of impending …

Slow Creep Along Thrust Faults May Help Researchers Forecast Megaquakes

In Japan and areas like the Pacific Northwest where megathrust earthquakes are common, scientists may be able to better forecast large quakes based on periodic increases and decreases in the rate of slow, quiet slipping along the fault. This hope …