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Educational Publications
Selected publications about earthquakes In plain language.
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Intermediate‐depth intraslab earthquakes and arc volcanism as physical expressions of crustal and uppermost mantle metamorphism in subducting slabs Intermediate‐depth intraslab earthquakes and arc volcanism as physical expressions of crustal and uppermost mantle metamorphism in subducting slabs
We elaborate on the well-known spatial association between axc volcanoes and Wadati Benioff zones and explore in detail their genetic relationships as dual physical expressions of slab metamorphism of the oceanic crust and uppermost mantle. At hypocentral depths less than 200 km intra slab Wadati-Benioff earthquakes tend to occur near the top surfaces of slabs. Subduction of very young...
Authors
Stephen H. Kirby, E. Robert Engdahl, Roger P. Denlinger
Earthquake technology fights crime Earthquake technology fights crime
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey have adapted their methods for quickly finding the exact source of an earthquake to the problem of locating gunshots. On the basis of this work, a private company is now testing an automated gunshot-locating system in a San Francisco Bay area community. This system allows police to rapidly pinpoint and respond to illegal gunfire, helping to...
Authors
John C. Lahr, Peter L. Ward, Peter H. Stauffer, James W. Hendley
Database of potential sources for earthquakes larger than magnitude 6 in Northern California Database of potential sources for earthquakes larger than magnitude 6 in Northern California
The Northern California Earthquake Potential (NCEP) working group, composed of many contributors and reviewers in industry, academia and government, has pooled its collective expertise and knowledge of regional tectonics to identify potential sources of large earthquakes in northern California. We have created a map and database of active faults, both surficial and buried, that forms the...
Authors
Three-dimensional crustal structure of the southern Sierra Nevada from seismic fan profiles and gravity modeling Three-dimensional crustal structure of the southern Sierra Nevada from seismic fan profiles and gravity modeling
Traveltime data from the 1993 Southern Sierra Nevada Continental Dynamics seismic refraction experiment reveal low crustal velocities in the southern Sierra Nevada and Basin and Range province of California (6.0 to 6.6 km/s), as well as low upper mantle velocities (7.6 to 7.8 km/s). The crust thickens from southeast to northwest along the axis of the Sierra Nevada from 27 km in the...
Authors
M.M. Fliedner, S. Ruppert, P.E. Malin, S. K. Park, G. Jiracek, R. A. Phinney, J.B. Saleeby, B. Wernicke, R. Clayton, Rebecca Hylton Keller, K. Miller, C. Jones, J.H. Luetgert, Walter D. Mooney, H. Oliver, S.L. Klemperer, G. A. Thompson
Site-response maps for the Los Angeles region based on earthquake ground motions Site-response maps for the Los Angeles region based on earthquake ground motions
Ground-motion records from aftershocks of the 1994 Northridge earthquake and main-shock records from the 1971 San Fernando, 1987 Whittier Narrows, 1991 Sierra Madre, and 1994 Northridge earthquakes are used to estimate site response in the urban Los Angeles, California, area. Two frequency bands are considered, 0.5-1.5 Hz and 2.0-6.0 Hz. Instrument characteristics prevented going to...
Authors
Stephen H. Hartzell, Stephen C. Harmsen, Arthur D. Frankel, David L. Carver, Edward Cranswick, Mark E. Meremonte, John A. Michael
The Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989: Main shock characteristics The Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989: Main shock characteristics
The October 17, 1989, Loma Prieta, Calif., earthquake (0004:15.2 G.m.t. October 18; lat 37.036º N., long 121.883º W.; 19-km depth) had a local magnitude (ML) of about 6.7, a surface-wave magnitude (MS) of 7.1, a seismic moment of 2.2x1019 N-m to 3.5x1019 N-m, a source duration of 6 to 15 s, and an average stress drop of at least 50 bars. Slip occurred on a dipping fault surface about 35...
Authors
Paul A. Spudich, Gregory C. Beroza, George Choy, John Boatwright, Stephen H. Hartzell, Gordon L. Stewart, Carlos Mendoza, Stephen Horton, John G. Anderson, Andres J. Mendez, Hiroo Kanamori, Kenji Satake, Michael Lisowski, Mark Hunter Murray, Jerry L. Svarc, Grant Marshall, Ross S. Stein, Karen McNally, Gerald W. Simila, Judy G. Brown, J.L. Nabelek, Ze’ev Reches, Mark D. Zoback, Jamison Steidl, Ralph J. Archuleta, Aaron A. Velasco, Thorne Lay, Jiajun Zhang, David J. Wald, Donald V. Helmberger, Thomas H. Heaton, Chesley R. Williams, Paul Segall, Francis T. Wu, Mingdong Wu, J.W. Rudnicki
Seismic anisotropy of the crystalline crust: What does it tell us? Seismic anisotropy of the crystalline crust: What does it tell us?
The study of the directional dependence of seismic velocities (seismic anisotropy) promises more refined insight into mineral composition and physical properties of the crystalline crust than conventional deep seismic refraction or reflection profiles providing average values of P-and S-wave velocities. The alignment of specific minerals by ductile rock deformation, for instance, causes...
Authors
Wolfgang Rabbel, Walter D. Mooney
Origin of high mountains in the continents: The Southern Sierra Nevada Origin of high mountains in the continents: The Southern Sierra Nevada
Active and passive seismic experiments show that the southern Sierra, despite standing 1.8 to 2.8 kilometers above its surroundings, is underlain by crust of similar seismic thickness, about 30 to 40 kilometers. Thermobarometry of xenolith suites and magnetotelluric profiles indicate that the upper mantle is eclogitic to depths of 60 kilometers beneath the western and central parts of...
Authors
B. Wernicke, R. Clayton, Mihai N. Ducea, C.H. Jones, S. Park, S. Ruppert, J. Saleeby, J.K. Snow, L. Squires, M. Fliedner, G. Jiracek, Rebecca Hylton Keller, S. Klemperer, J. Luetgert, P. Malin, K. Miller, Walter D. Mooney, H. Oliver, R. Phinney
Damage and restoration of geodetic infrastructure caused by the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake Damage and restoration of geodetic infrastructure caused by the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake
We seek to restore the integrity of the geodetic network in the San Fernando, Simi, Santa Clarita Valleys and in the northern Los Angeles Basin by remeasurement of the network and identification of BMs which experienced non-tectonic displacements associated with the Northridge earthquake. We then use the observed displacement of BMs in the network to portray or predict the permanent...
Authors
Kathleen M. Hodgkinson, Ross S. Stein, Kenneth W. Hudnut, Jay Satalich, John H. Richards
Quake Forecasting- An Emerging Capability Quake Forecasting- An Emerging Capability
No abstract available.
Authors
Andrew Michael, Paul Reasenberg, Peter H. Stauffer, James W. Hendley
Transition from slab to slabless: Results from the 1993 Mendocino triple junction seismic experiment Transition from slab to slabless: Results from the 1993 Mendocino triple junction seismic experiment
Three seismic refraction-reflection profiles, part of the Mendocino triple junction seismic experiment, allow us to compare and contrast crust and upper mantle of the North American margin before and after it is modified by passage of the Mendocino triple junction. Upper crustal velocity models reveal an asymmetric Great Valley basin overlying Sierran or ophiolitic rocks at the latitude...
Authors
B. C. Beaudoin, N. J. Godfrey, S.L. Klemperer, C. Lendl, A.M. Trehu, T.J. Henstock, A. Levander, J.E. Holl, A.S. Meltzer, James H. Luetgert, Walter D. Mooney
Strain accumulation across the central Nevada seismic zone, 1973–1994 Strain accumulation across the central Nevada seismic zone, 1973–1994
Five trilateration networks extending for 280 km along the central Nevada seismic zone (1915 Pleasant Valley, M = 7.3; 1954 Dixie Valley, M = 6.8; 1954 Stillwater, M = 6.8; 1954 Rainbow Mountain, M = 6.6; 1954 Fairview Peak, M = 7.1; and 1932 Cedar Mountain, M = 7.2) have been surveyed 6 times since 1973 to determine deformation along the zone. Within the precision of measurement the...
Authors
James C. Savage, Michael Lisowski, W.K. Gross