Underwater sound recordings have been used to monitor transform faults in the equatorial Pacific, implicating a mechanism of foreshock generation distinct from that on most continental fault systems. Nearly 40 years ago, a study of seismicity along oceanic transform faults provided telling evidence in support of the theory of plate tectonics. Today, as exemplified by the work of McGuire and colleagues (page 457 of this issue), seismologists are unravelling the mysteries of earthquake generation and testing the limits of prediction along these remote fault zones.
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