Call for Abstracts: Intriguing Seismic Observations - SA 2026 Annual Meeting (14-16 Apr 2026) (

[Peggy Hellweg]

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to submit abstracts to our session, 'Intriguing Seismic Observations,' at the SSA 2026 Annual Meeting in Pasadena, California (April 14–18). For more information see: https://meetings.seismosoc.org/submit/

We hope to see you and hear about your intriguing seismic observations in Pasadena.

Best regards,

Peggy, Lori and Sue

Intriguing Seismic Observations 

The experience of a large or great earthquake can involve a remarkable range of sensory phenomena, including audible sounds, flashes of light, ground roll, and other striking effects. Reports of these observations—ranging from well-documented accounts to anecdotal narratives—highlight the complex physical processes occurring during strong ground motion. With the increasing availability of smartphones, video recordings, and other digital tools, modern observations provide valuable new insights that complement historical materials such as those in the Steinbrugge collection. This session invites contributions that document, analyze, or model unusual seismic phenomena—whether visual, audible, written, or instrumental—and that advance understanding of the physical mechanisms underlying these distinctive earthquake effects. 

Conveners Lori Dengler, Cal Poly Humboldt (retired) (lori.d...@humboldt.edu) 

Peggy Hellweg, University of California, Berkeley (hel...@berkeley.edu) 

Susan E. Hough, U.S. Geological Survey (ho...@usgs.go)