arXiv:2603.03344v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Earthquake detection and seismic phase picking are fundamental yet challenging tasks in seismology due to low signal-to-noise ratios, waveform variability, and overlapping events. Recent deep-learning models achieve strong results but rely on large datasets and heavy backpropagation training, raising concerns over efficiency, interpretability, and sustainability. We propose GreenPhase, a multi-resolution, feed-forward, and mathematically interpretable model based on the Green Learning framework. GreenPhase comprises three resolution levels, each integrating unsupervised representation learning, supervised feature learning, and decision learning. Its feed-forward design eliminates backpropagation, enabling independent module optimization with stable training and clear interpretability. Predictions are refined from coarse to fine resolutions while computation is restricted to candidate regions. On the Stanford Earthquake Dataset (STEAD), GreenPhase achieves excellent performance with F1 scores of 1.0 for detection, 0.98 for P-wave picking, and 0.96 for S-wave picking. This is accomplished while reducing the computational cost (FLOPs) for inference by approximately 83% compared to state-of-the-art models. These results demonstrate that the proposed model provides an efficient, interpretable, and sustainable alternative for large-scale seismic monitoring.

arXiv:2603.03346v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Modeling the unsaturated behavior of porous materials with multimodal pore size distributions presents significant challenges, as standard hydraulic models often fail to capture their complex, multi-scale characteristics. A common workaround involves superposing unimodal retention functions, each tailored to a specific pore size range; however, this approach requires separate parameter identification for each mode, which limits interpretability and generalizability, especially in data-sparse scenarios. In this work, we introduce a fundamentally different approach: a physics-constrained machine learning framework designed for meta-modeling, enabling the automatic discovery of closed-form mathematical expressions for multimodal water retention curves directly from experimental data. Mathematical expressions are represented as binary trees and evolved via genetic programming, while physical constraints are embedded into the loss function to guide the symbolic regressor toward solutions that are physically consistent and mathematically robust. Our results demonstrate that the proposed framework can discover closed-form equations that effectively represent the water retention characteristics of porous materials with varying pore structures. To support third-party validation, application, and extension, we make the full implementation publicly available in an open-source repository.

arXiv:2601.02158v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: This paper presents FormationEval, an open multiple-choice question benchmark for evaluating language models on petroleum geoscience and subsurface disciplines. The dataset contains 505 questions across seven domains including petrophysics, petroleum geology and reservoir engineering, derived from three authoritative sources using a reasoning model with detailed instructions and a concept-based approach that avoids verbatim copying of copyrighted text. Each question includes source metadata to support traceability and audit. The evaluation covers 72 models from major providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta and open-weight alternatives. The top performers achieve over 97% accuracy, with Gemini 3 Pro Preview reaching 99.8%, while tier and domain gaps persist. Among open-weight models, GLM-4.7 leads at 98.6%, with several DeepSeek, Llama, Qwen and Mistral models also exceeding 93%. The performance gap between open-weight and closed models is narrower than expected, with several lower-cost open-weight models exceeding 90% accuracy. Petrophysics emerges as the most challenging domain across all models, while smaller models show wider performance variance. Residual length bias in the dataset (correct answers tend to be longer) is documented along with bias mitigation strategies applied during construction. The benchmark, evaluation code and results are publicly available.