Marine turbidites are layers of mud and sand deposited on the deep ocean floor by massive underwater landslides and are often used as a historical record for reconstructing earthquake histories.

However, they can be unreliable because it is difficult to show they were not triggered by a storm or flood rather than a quake. In a new study published in the journal Science Advances, researchers detail a new way to link these mud layers to the specific landslides that caused them. This could mean much more accurate earthquake timelines.