SSA 2026 Earthquake Swarms Across the Earthquake Cycle

[Kris Pankow]

Dear Colleagues Working on Swarms,

We invite you to submit an abstract  to our session " Earthquake Swarms Across the Earthquake Cycle: Precursors, Transients, and Aftereffects" at the 2026 SSA Annual Meeting in Pasadena. We are looking forward to some interesting presentations and the opportunity for discussion. Abstracts are due January 13, 2026. To submit an abstract and register for the meeting, please see https://meetings.seismosoc.org/

See you in Pasadena!

Kate Chen, National Taiwan Normal University (kate...@gmail.com)

Aitaro Kato, University of Tokyo (ak...@eri.u-tokyo.ac.jp)

Kristine Pankow, University of Utah (panko...@gmail.com)

Earthquake Swarms Across the Earthquake Cycle: Precursors, Transients, and Aftereffects

Earthquake swarms occur in diverse tectonic settings and reflect a broad spectrum of physical

mechanisms, including fluid diffusion, aseismic slip, fault healing, and postseismic relaxation. Rather

than representing a single process, swarms can mark multiple stages of the earthquake cycle. They may

act as precursors to major ruptures, indicators of transient deformation, or aftereffects of stress

redistribution.

This session invites contributions that explore the temporal and mechanical roles of earthquake swarms in

fault evolution through observations, laboratory experiments, numerical modeling, and theoretical

analyses. We particularly welcome studies that link swarms with aseismic slip, fluid migration, or stress

interactions across spatial and temporal scales. By integrating seismic, geodetic, and experimental

perspectives, this session aims to advance understanding of how earthquake swarms modulate fault

loading and release, bridging the gap between slow and fast deformation processes in the lithosphere. We

encourage interdisciplinary approaches and global case studies that provide new insights into the diverse

origins and implications of earthquake swarms.