UW News
Heidi Houston
April 27, 2015
Tidal tugs on Teflon faults drive slow-slipping earthquakes
![diagram showing brown slab below grey slab](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2015/04/04172218/slow_slip_diagram-150x150.jpg)
Teasing out how slow, silent earthquakes respond to tidal forces lets researchers calculate the friction inside the fault, which could help understand when and how the more hazardous earthquakes occur.