Publications
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Financial risk innovation: Development of earthquake parametric triggers for contingent credit instruments Financial risk innovation: Development of earthquake parametric triggers for contingent credit instruments
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has developed financial risk management strategies for natural disasters focusing primarily on the emergency phase of the catastrophes where financial support is more cost-efficient and certainly most needed. The main IDB financial instrument to provide liquidity in the aftermath of catastrophic events is the Contingent Credit Facility (CCF). The...
Authors
Guillermo Collich, Rafael Rosillo, Juan Martinez, David Wald, Juan Durante
Landslides after wildfire: Initiation, magnitude, and mobility Landslides after wildfire: Initiation, magnitude, and mobility
In the semiarid Southwestern USA, wildfires are commonly followed by runoff-generated debris flows because wildfires remove vegetation and ground cover, which reduces soil infiltration capacity and increases soil erodibility. At a study site in Southern California, we initially observed runoff-generated debris flows in the first year following fire. However, at the same site three years...
Authors
Francis Rengers, Luke McGuire, Nina Oakley, Jason Kean, Dennis Staley, Hui Tang
Adjusted geomagnetic data—Theoretical basis and validation Adjusted geomagnetic data—Theoretical basis and validation
Adjusted geomagnetic data are magnetometer measurements with provisional correction factors applied such that vector quantities are oriented in a local Cartesian frame in which the X axis points north, the Y axis points east, and the Z axis points down. These correction factors are determined from so-called absolute measurements, which are “ground truth” observations made in the field...
Authors
E. Rigler, Abram Claycomb
Procedures for developing multi-period response spectra at non-conterminous United States sites Procedures for developing multi-period response spectra at non-conterminous United States sites
This study complements proposals to the Provisions Update Committee of the Building Seismic Safety Council that would incorporate multi-period response spectra (MPRS) in the 2020 edition of the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures (2020 NEHRP Provisions) and related proposals to the ASCE 7-22 Seismic Subcommittee of the American Society of Civil...
Authors
Mai Tong, Robert Hanson, Charles Kircher, Sanaz Rezaeian, Nico Luco
Calibration of the U.S. Geological Survey National Crustal Model Calibration of the U.S. Geological Survey National Crustal Model
The U.S. Geological Survey National Crustal Model (NCM) is being developed to include spatially varying estimates of site response in seismic hazard assessments. Primary outputs of the NCM are continuous velocity and density profiles from the Earth’s surface to the mantle transition zone at 410-kilometer (km) depth for each location on a 1-km grid across the conterminous United States...
Authors
Oliver Boyd
Recording the aurora borealis (northern lights) at seismometers across Alaska Recording the aurora borealis (northern lights) at seismometers across Alaska
We examine three continuously recording data sets related to the aurora: all‐sky camera images, three‐component magnetometer data, and vertical‐component, broadband seismic data as part of the EarthScope project (2014 to present). Across Alaska there are six all‐sky cameras, 13 magnetometers, and >200>200 seismometers. The all‐sky images and magnetometers have the same objective, which...
Authors
C. Tape, Adam Ringler, D.L. Hampton
Global quieting of high-frequency seismic noise due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures Global quieting of high-frequency seismic noise due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures
Human activity causes vibrations that propagate into the ground as high-frequency seismic waves. Measures to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread changes in human activity, leading to a months-long reduction in seismic noise of up to 50%. The 2020 seismic noise quiet period is the longest and most prominent global anthropogenic seismic noise reduction on record. While the...
Authors
Thomas Lecocq, Stephen Hicks, Koen Van Noten, Kasper van Wijk, Paula Koelemeijer, Raphael De Plaen, Frederick Massin, Gregor Hillers, Robert Anthony, Maria-Theresia Apoloner, Mario Arroyo-Solorzano, Jelle Assink, Pinar Buyukakpinar, Andrea Cannata, Flavio Cannavo, Sebastian Carrasco, Corentin Caudron, Esteban Chaves, David Cornwell, David Craig, Oliver den Ouden, Jordi Diaz, Stefanie Donner, Christos Evangelidis, Laslo Evers, Benoit Fauville, Gonzalo Fernandez, Dimitrios Giannopoulos, Steven Gibbons, Tarsilo Girona, Bogdan Grecu, Marc Grunberg, Gyorgy Hetenyi, Anna Horleston, Adolfo Inza, Jessica Irving, Mohammadreza Jamalreyhani, Alan Kafka, Mathijs Koymans, Celeste Labedz, Eric Larose, Nathaniel Lindsey, Mika McKinnon, Tobias Megies, Meghan Miller, William Minarik, Louis Moresi, Victor Marquez-Ramirez, Martin Mollhoff, Ian Nesbitt, Shankho Niyogi, Javier Ojeda, Adrien Oth, Simon Proud, Jay Pulli, Lise Retailleau, Annukka Rintamaki, Claudio Satriano, Martha K. Savage, Shanhar Shani-Kamiel, Reinoud Sleeman, Efthimios Sokos, Klaus Stammler, Alexander Stott, Shiba Subedi, Mathilde B. Sorensen, Taka’aki Taira, Mar Tapia, Faith Turhan, Ben van der Pluijm, Mark Vanstone, Jerome Vernge, Tommi Vuorinen, Tristram Warren, Joachim Wassermann, Han Xiao
Reconstructing the velocity and deformation of a rapid landslide using multiview video Reconstructing the velocity and deformation of a rapid landslide using multiview video
Noncontact measurements of spatially varied ground surface deformation during landslide motion can provide important constraints on landslide mechanics. Here, we present and test a new method for extracting measurements of rapid landslide surface displacement and velocity (accelerations of approximately 1 m/s2) using sequences of stereo images obtained from a pair of inexpensive...
Authors
Thomas Rapstine, Francis Rengers, Kate Allstadt, Richard Iverson, Joel Smith, Maciej Obryk, M. Logan, M. Olsen
Bellwether sites for evaluating changes in landslide frequency and magnitude in cryospheric mountainous terrain: A call for systematic, long-term observations to decipher the impact of climate change Bellwether sites for evaluating changes in landslide frequency and magnitude in cryospheric mountainous terrain: A call for systematic, long-term observations to decipher the impact of climate change
Permafrost and glaciers are being degraded by the warming effects of climate change. The impact that this degradation has on slope stability in mountainous terrain is the subject of ongoing research efforts. The relatively new availability of high-resolution (≤ 10 m) imagery with worldwide coverage and short (≤ 30 days) repeat acquisition times, as well as the emerging field of...
Authors
Jeffrey Coe
Evidence of previous faulting along the 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake ruptures Evidence of previous faulting along the 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake ruptures
The July 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence in southeastern California was characterized as surprising because only ~35% of the rupture occurred on previously mapped faults. Employing more detailed inspection of pre-event high-resolution topography and imagery in combination with field observations, we document evidence of active faulting in the landscape along the entire fault system...
Authors
Jessica Thompson Jobe, Belle Philibosian, Colin Chupik, Timothy Dawson, Scott Bennett, Ryan Gold, Christopher DuRoss, Tyler Ladinsky, Katherine Kendrick, Elizabeth Haddon, Ian Pierce, Brian Swanson, Gordon G. Seitz
A 36-year record of rock avalanches in the Saint Elias Mountains of Alaska, with implications for future hazards A 36-year record of rock avalanches in the Saint Elias Mountains of Alaska, with implications for future hazards
Glacial retreat and mountain-permafrost degradation resulting from rising global temperatures have the potential to impact the frequency and magnitude of landslides in glaciated environments. Several recent events, including the 2015 Taan Fiord rock avalanche, which triggered a tsunami with one of the highest wave runups ever recorded, have called attention to the hazards posed by...
Authors
Erin K. Bessette-Kirton, Jeffrey Coe
Towards understanding relationships between atmospheric pressure variations and long-period horizontal seismic data: A case study Towards understanding relationships between atmospheric pressure variations and long-period horizontal seismic data: A case study
Variations in atmospheric pressure have long been known to introduce noise in long-period (>10 s) seismic records. This noise can overwhelm signals of interest such as normal modes and surface waves. Generally, this noise is most pronounced on the horizontal components where it arises due to tilting of the seismometer in response to changes in atmospheric pressure. Several studies have...
Authors
Alexis Alejandro, Adam Ringler, David Wilson, Robert Anthony, S.V. Moore