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Buried electrical pathways across the US reveal new clues about Earth's interior and power grid risks

Phys · · 871 words · By Amy C Oliver

Scientists from the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have completed the United States Magnetotelluric Array (USMTArray), a 3D map of the continent's subsurface electrical properties. This data is being used to better understand Earth's geological history and to improve real-time risk assessments for power grid failures caused by solar storms.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-electrical-pathways-reveal-clues-earth.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 3
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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“A solar storm like the one that caused a nine-hour blackout across Quebec in 1989 could have even more dramatic effects if it struck the eastern United States today.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is supported by a press release/article describing the USMTArray and the historical context of the 1989 Quebec blackout, and general scientific consensus on solar storm risks to power grids found in Wikipedia and Wired.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Quebec (French: Québec) is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, it is the only Francophone-majority province in the country, being home to Québécois French. It shares borders …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Quebec diaspora consists of Quebec immigrants and their descendants dispersed over the North American continent and historically concentrated in the New England region of the United States, Ontari…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_diaspora
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Events from the year 1989 in the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_in_the_United_States
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“After 18 years of work and measurements at over 1,800 locations across the country, the United States Magnetotelluric Array (USMTArray) has completed the first comprehensive survey of electrical properties beneath the continent.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (web search results) confirm the USMTArray completed a comprehensive survey using over 1,800 locations over 18 years.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from Earth's interior out into space, where it inteeam of charged particles emanating from the Sun…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth's_magnetic_field
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The EarthScope project (2003-2018) was a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Earth science program using geological and geophysical techniques to explore the structure and evolution of the North …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EarthScope
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — USArray (Seismic and Magnetotelluric Observatory) was one of the three components of the Earthscope project, the other two components being the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) and the San Andreas Fau…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USArray
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“scientists from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) present a three-dimensional map tracing how electrical currents flow through underground rocks, fluids, and ancient geological formations”
VERIFIED
A specific source confirms that scientists from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) presented a 3D map of electrical currents in the subsurface.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Abraham "Avi" Loeb (Hebrew: אברהם (אבי) לייב; born February 26, 1962) is an Israeli-American theoretical physicist who works on astrophysics and cosmology. Loeb is the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avi_Loeb
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA), previously known as the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, is an astrophysics research institute jointly operated by the Harvard Co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard–Smithsonian_Center_for…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is a research institute of the Smithsonian Institution, concentrating on astrophysical studies including galactic and extragalactic astronomy, cosmology…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithsonian_Astrophysical_Obse…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Anna Kelbert, an Earth Science Project Scientist at the CfA and the lead author of the new paper published in Reviews of Geophysics.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general project is mentioned in other sources, the specific identification of Anna Kelbert as the lead author and her role at CfA is not corroborated by the other provided search results (which returned unrelated 'Anna' results).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The March 1989 geomagnetic storm occurred as part of severe to extreme solar storms during early to middle March 1989, the most notable being a geomagnetic storm that struck Earth on March 13. This ge…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_1989_geomagnetic_storm
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web search NEUTRAL — ANNA is committed to advancing the nephrology nursing specialty and nurturing every ANNA member. We achieve these goals by providing the highest quality educational products, programs, and services.
https://www.annanurse.org/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Anna (stylized as ANИA) is a 2019 action thriller film written, produced and directed by Luc Besson. The film stars Sasha Luss as the eponymous assassin, alongside Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy, Helen Mi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_(2019_feature_film)
+ 1 more evidence source
verified
“During that event, storm-driven geoelectric fields overwhelmed the Hydro-Québec power grid, leaving millions without electricity.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia directly confirms that the March 1989 geomagnetic storm caused a nine-hour outage of Hydro-Québec.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Daniel-Johnson dam (French: Barrage Daniel-Johnson), formerly known as Manic-5, is a multiple-arch buttress dam on the Manicouagan River that creates the annular Manicouagan Reservoir. The dam is …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel-Johnson_dam
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hydro-Québec is a Canadian Crown corporation public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. The company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity ac…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hydro-Québec
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hydro-Québec (French pronunciation: [idʁo kebɛk]) is a Canadian Crown corporation public utility headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. It manages the generation, transmission and distribution of electric…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydro-Québec
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“during that same storm, geoelectric field amplitudes at a site in Maine reached 22.79 volts per kilometer.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific value of 22.79 V/km in Maine is a highly specific data point likely coming from the primary source article; it is not corroborated by the other general search results provided.
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of DURING is throughout the duration of. How to use during in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/during
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web search NEUTRAL — DURING definition: 1. from the beginning to the end of a particular period: 2. at some time between the beginning and…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/during
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web search NEUTRAL — When you use during, you are usually emphasizing that something is continuous or repeated. You can also use during to say that something happens while an activity takes place. I met a lot of celebriti…
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/during
info
“anything above 1 V/km is considered a threat by the power grid industry”
SINGLE SOURCE
The threshold of 1 V/km being a threat is mentioned in the context of the USMTArray reporting, but not corroborated by the other provided technical sources.
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web search NEUTRAL — At that strength, the ground itself was conducting electricity at levels far beyond what power infrastructure is built to handle. This poses a serious risk for power grids, which are designed to handl…
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/scientists-map-hidden-elect…
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web search NEUTRAL — Here, the combined effects of the power network's topology and the Earth's underlying conductivity structure on GIC risk are examined using examples from the electric power grid in Alberta, Canada. Ou…
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/202…
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web search NEUTRAL — For a power line of 100 km in length, the integration of 10 V/km adds up to 1,000 V. Such voltages can drive currents through grounding points at high-voltage transformer substations and into the powe…
https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/fs20243036/full
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“data from the USMTArray feeds into a real-time risk map, managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS)”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources confirm that USMTArray data feeds into a real-time risk map managed by NOAA and USGS.
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web search NEUTRAL — Real-time streamflow data[17] is available online.Georeferenced map images are available from the USGS as digital raster graphics (DRGs) in addition to digital data sets based on USGS maps, notably di…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Geological_Surve…
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web search NEUTRAL — Today, data from the USMTArray feeds into a real-time risk map, managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), that monitors elec…
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/scientists-map-hidden-elect…
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web search NEUTRAL — Integrating the USMTArray dataset into the NOAA-USGS Geoelectric Field Map allows for real-time estimates of storm-induced ground currents across the country.
https://www.usgs.gov/programs/geomagnetism/science/mapping-g…
help
“Launched in 2006, the project set out to create a detailed image of North America's deep structure.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results specifically confirming the 2006 launch date for the purpose of imaging deep structure, although the project timeframe 2006-2024 is mentioned in claim 1's evidence.
help
“Anna Kelbert et al, The United States Magnetotelluric Array and the National Impedance Map, Reviews of Geophysics (2026). DOI: 10.1029/2024RG000850.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify the specific publication details, DOI, or the 2026 date of the paper.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.