Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

When the Earth Talks, AI Listens

06/02/2025

AI built for speech is now decoding the language of earthquakes.

A team of researchers from the Earth and environmental sciences division at Los Alamos National Laboratory repurposed Meta's Wav2Vec-2.0, an AI model designed for speech recognition, to analyze seismic signals from Hawaii's 2018 K lauea volcano collapse.

Their findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest that faults emit distinct signals as they shift - patterns that AI can now track in real time. While this doesn't mean AI can predict earthquakes, the study marks an important step toward understanding how faults behave before a slip event.

Seismic records are acoustic measurements of waves passing through the solid Earth, said Christopher Johnson, one of the study's lead researchers. From a signal processing perspective, many similar techniques are applied for both audio and seismic waveform analysis.

The AI model was tested using data from the 2018 collapse of Hawaii's K lauea caldera, which triggered months of earthquakes and reshaped the volcanic landscape. The lava lake in Halema uma u during the 2020-2021 eruption (USGS/F. Trusdell) is a striking reminder of K lauea's ongoing activity. Big earthquakes don't just shake the ground - they upend economies. In the past five years, quakes in Japan, Turkey and California have caused tens of billions of dollars in damage and displaced millions of people.

That's where AI comes in. Led by Johnson, along with Kun Wang and Paul Johnson, the Los Alamos team tested whether speech-recognition AI could make sense of fault movements - deciphering the tremors like words in a sentence.

To test their approach, the team used data from the dramatic 2018 collapse of Hawaii's K lauea caldera, which triggered a series of earthquakes over three months.

The AI analyzed seismic waveforms and mapped them to real-time ground movement, revealing that faults might speak in patterns resembling human speech.

Speech recognition models like Wav2Vec-2.0 are well-suited for this task because they excel at identifying complex, time-series data patterns - whether involving human speech or the Earth's tremors.

The AI model outperformed traditional methods, such as gradient-boosted trees, which struggle with the unpredictable nature of seismic signals. Gradient-boosted trees build multiple decision trees in sequence, refining predictions by correcting previous errors at each step.

However, these models struggle with highly variable, continuous signals like seismic waveforms. In contrast, deep learning models like Wav2Vec-2.0 excel at identifying underlying patterns.

How AI Was Trained to Listen to the Earth Unlike previous machine learning models that required manually labeled training data, the researchers used a self-supervised learning approach to train Wav2Vec-2.0. The model was pretrained on continuous seismic waveforms and then fine-tuned using real-world data from K lauea's collapse sequence.

NVIDIA accelerated computing played a crucial role in processing vast amounts of seismic waveform data in parallel. High-performance NVIDIA GPUs accelerated training, enabling the AI to efficiently extract meaningful patterns from continuous seismic signals.

What's Still Missing: Can AI Predict Earthquakes? While the AI showed promise in tracking real-time fault shifts, it was less effective at forecasting future displacement. Attempts to train the model for near-future predictions - essentially, asking it to anticipate a slip event before it happens - yielded inconclusive results.

We need to expand the training data to include continuous data from other seismic networks that contain more variations in naturally occurring and anthropogenic signals, he explained.

A Step Toward Smarter Seismic Monitoring Despite the challenges in forecasting, the results mark an intriguing advancement in earthquake research. This study suggests that AI models designed for speech recognition may be uniquely suited to interpreting the intricate, shifting signals faults generate over time.

This research, as applied to tectonic fault systems, is still in its infancy, Johnson. The study is more analogous to data from laboratory experiments than large earthquake fault zones, which have much longer recurrence intervals. Extending these efforts to real-world forecasting will require further model development with physics-based constraints.

So, no, speech-based AI models aren't predicting earthquakes yet. But this research suggests they could one day - if scientists can teach it to listen more carefully.

Read the full paper, Automatic Speech Recognition Predicts Contemporaneous Earthquake Fault Displacement, to dive deeper into the science behind this groundbreaking research.
LINK: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/earth-ai/...
See more stories from nvidia

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

25/06/2026

Sports and Dramas Drive April Viewing Patterns in Nielsen's Latest Gauge Reports

Cable Gains Share for Second Consecutive Month in Six-Month-High Finish, Boosted...

25/06/2026

cUL/UL Certification and the Anton/Bauer EDEN: The New Safety Standard for Production Power

alt= data-nectar-img-srcset=https://www.antonbauer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/0...

25/06/2026

Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune Tap Clear-Com for Comms Upgrade

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/06/2026

ESC 2026 - Big Blue Marble cloud-based delivery powers fl...

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna was a significant success for the Austrian public broadcaster ORF. In Austria, more than 1.5 million viewers tuned in...

25/06/2026

WISYCOM DELIVERS NEW LEVELS OF RF EFFICIENCY AND INFRAST...

Wisycom has further strengthened its ecosystem of professional wireless solutions with the MPR60 Wideband IEM/IFB Receiver with expanded multichannel IFB mode, ...

25/06/2026

Ease Live Powers New Interactive Experience for Rally TV...

Ease Live, the interactivity expert, today announced that its graphics overlay platform is powering a new interactive experience on Rally.TV, the official video...

25/06/2026

VFX History: the origin of After Effects

VFX History: the origin of After Effects Graham Quince June 25, 2026 0 Comments Before it was Adobe, it was CoSA. This is the VFX history of Adobe Aft...

25/06/2026

Creative Remote to Open London Offline Facility

Creative Remote, the provider of remote and hybrid offline editing infrastructure, today announced the opening of 41, its new offline edit facility located at 4...

25/06/2026

Rise Announces 2026 Worldwide Mentoring Cohorts Supportin...

Rise, the award-winning advocacy group for gender diversity in the broadcast and media technology sector, is pleased to announce the global mentoring cohort for...

25/06/2026

Emergent Partners with ROCKET to Expand Canadian Operatio...

Emergent, a pioneer in browser-based, AI-enhanced content production environments, today announced a strategic partnership with ROCKET, a premier media-centric ...

25/06/2026

Mobile Television Group Launches MTVG Full-Stack Production Platform

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/06/2026

NAB Updates FCC on ATSC 3.0 Alerting Advances

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/06/2026

Tegna Elevates Four Executives to Senior VP

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/06/2026

The Ultimate Summer Sale Pairing: Steam Sale Meets GeForce NOW Discounts

Summer savings are heating up. From the Steam Summer Sale to GeForce NOW membership discounts, this week's GFN Thursday delivers double the deals and more w...

25/06/2026

Comedian Joe McGucken hosts new RT podcast series Ramble

Launching today (Thursday 25 June), new RT podcast Ramble with Joe McGucken is a series of curiosity-driven conversations where actor, writer and comedian Joe ...

25/06/2026

June 24, 2026

Immune molecule may drive excessive drinking in alcohol use disorder Scripps Research scientists showed that blocking an immune molecule tied to inflammation r...

24/06/2026

NoiseWorks Audio add Mouth De-Click to VoiceAssist

Plus: VoiceAssist Basic now available to UA LUNA users NoiseWorks Audio have just released an update that adds a new Mouth De-Click module to the Advanced t...

24/06/2026

Gator introduce the Frameworks Studio Mic Boom 2000

New heavy-duty mic stand joins range The latest arrival to Gator's Frameworks family introduces a new heavy-duty boom stand that's been designed for...

24/06/2026

Waves V17 now available

Latest major plug-in update goes live Waves have just announced that the latest major update for their hugely popular plug-in range is now officially availa...

24/06/2026

Why Four Bars of Signal Doesn't Always Mean Good Performance

When assessing cellular coverage, many people look at the signal bars displayed on a smartphone, router or modem. More bars are often assumed to mean better per...

24/06/2026

Rohde & Schwarz THORIS sets new standard for counterUAS defense

Rohde & Schwarz THORIS sets new standard for counter UAS defense At Eurosatory 2026, Rohde & Schwarz is unveiling THORIS, a German engineered, sovereign count...

24/06/2026

Rohde & Schwarz expands voice communications modernization program for Egyptian air traffic control

Rohde & Schwarz expands voice communications modernization program for Egyptian ...

24/06/2026

Clear-Com FreeSpeak Cell Successfully Tested by RTL Deutschland in 5G Network at...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

24/06/2026

Nielsen's Q1 2026 Ad Supported Gauge

Streaming sets record high of 46.6% of ad supported TV viewing, driven by Super Bowl and Winter Olympics; overall share of ad supported TV remains steady NEW Y...

24/06/2026

FCC Flooded with Nearly 28K Comments Regarding Its Probe of 'The View'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

Hearst Television Brings Ad Addressability to Local Broadcast TV

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

FCC Raises $3.5 Billion in AWS-3 Wireless Auction

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

RE:Vision Effects Announces Twixtor Standalone v 8.1 and a Sale!

RE:Vision Effects Announces Twixtor Standalone v 8.1 and a Sale! Brie Clayton June 24, 2026 0 Comments Twixtor v8.1 Standalone adds support for variab...

24/06/2026

Dreamtek Uses Full Blackmagic Workflow for Vercel Next JS Event

Dreamtek Uses Full Blackmagic Workflow for Vercel Next JS Event Brie Clayton June 24, 2026 0 Comments Blackmagic cameras, switchers, routers, recorder...

24/06/2026

Chyron LIVE Unveils New Features: Haivision StreamHub Integration, SCTE-35 Ad Insertion, and Refined Switching Tools

Chyron LIVE Unveils New Features: Haivision StreamHub Integration, SCTE-35 Ad In...

24/06/2026

Mapping an Education

Mapping an Education How composer Chloe Clarke Smith navigated her Boston Conservatory experience and brought new meaning to her work June 24, 2026 By Sara...

24/06/2026

The Next Act

The Next Act Dean Krisha Marcano's vision for a connected Theater Division, and the fund making it possible June 24, 2026 Photo by Eric Antoniou The Or...

24/06/2026

Announcing STAGES Magazine 2026

Announcing STAGES Magazine 2026 Marking a decade since Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music joined forces, this issue spotlights some of the groun...

24/06/2026

Rede Legislativa Chooses Appear to Support Brazil TV Ver...

In Brazil's TV 3.0 Trials, Appear's X5 is transporting live signals from Bras lia to S o Paulo over the public internet using secure, reliable next-gene...

24/06/2026

Mediaproxy partners with HVS for US broadcast market

Melbourne, Australia - 24 June 2026: Mediaproxy, the global standard for software-based IP compliance monitoring and multiviewing solutions, has named Heartland...

24/06/2026

Gray Media Launches Political 360 Digital Advertising Solution

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

Walmart to Pay $1.4 Billion to Acquire Ad Tech Firm Vibe.co

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

FCC Flooded with Nearly 28K Comments on 'The View'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

24/06/2026

First Rush Brings SDI Multicam ProRes Recording to Apple Silicon Macs

First Rush Brings SDI Multicam ProRes Recording to Apple Silicon Macs Brie Clayton June 23, 2026 0 Comments First Rush is a native macOS application d...

24/06/2026

Vertical Drama Beneath Crimson Sails Created with Blackmagic Design

Vertical Drama Beneath Crimson Sails Created with Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton June 23, 2026 0 Comments Thunder Child Productions relies on cameras&...

24/06/2026

X-Rite Pantone Adds MSI PRO MAX Displays to Pantone Validated Program for Proven Color Fidelity for Real World Colors

X-Rite Pantone Adds MSI PRO MAX Displays to Pantone Validated Program for Proven...

24/06/2026

Dara Briain forms Dara's Dull Appreciation Society for U

24th June 2026, London: Dara Briain will host brand new comedy entertainment series Dara's Dull Appreciation Society (4x40') celebrating members of th...

24/06/2026

Sky reveals wild new trailer and images for Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom

Wednesday 24 June 2026 Sky reveals wild new trailer and images for Shaun the Sh...

24/06/2026

Seven paradoxes shaping the next era of media production - Episode 1

Why Dynamic Media Facilities Matter In this series, we explore the technologies, architectures and operational realities shaping modern media operations. Along ...

24/06/2026

Comscore Announces Partnership with Amazon DSP to Expand Content Addressability to Drive Campaign Performance

Comscore Announces Partnership with Amazon DSP to Expand Content Addressability ...

24/06/2026

RT is supporting 21 Arts and Cultural Events all over Ireland this July

From Cork to Limerick to Earagail: RT is supporting 21 Arts and Cultural Events all over Ireland this July RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to spotlight...