Research Geophysicist in the Earthquake Science Center and Project Chief for Crustal Deformation.
I am a Research Geophysicist in the Earthquake Science Center where I have served as the Task Leader for GPS data collection and analysis and as the Project Chief for Crustal Deformation. Currently I serve as the Geodesy topical coordinator for the Earthquake Hazards Program. I study deformation using a variety of geodetic data (measurements of the displacement of the Earth’s surface). This research concerns the spatio-temporal patterns of strain accumulation and release on faults and how such processes modulate the earthquake cycle. One area of interest is the use of geodetic data to infer the spatial distribution of interseismic and coseismic fault slip and the insight this provides into earthquake recurrence. Another area of focus is the detection and kinematic modeling of transient deformation using frequent geodetic measurements and techniques such as Kalman filtering. This work is geared toward an improved understanding of the stressing history on a fault, the conditions under which stable slip occurs, and the relation between transient slip, seismicity, and earthquake-induced stress changes. I am also involved in developing ways to use real-time GPS data for improved earthquake early warning and situational awareness following major earthquakes.
Professional Experience
2014 - present Research Geophysicist, Earthquake Hazards Program Geodesy Coordinator, USGS Earthquake Science Center , Menlo Park, CA
2011 – 2014 Research Geophysicist, Project Chief: Crustal Deformation, USGS Earthquake Science Center , Menlo Park, CA
2005 – 2011 Research Geophysicist, Leader: GPS Crustal Strain Task, USGS Earthquake Science Center, Menlo Park, CA
2003 – 2005 Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, USGS Western Region Earthquake Hazards Team, Menlo Park, CA
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. (2003) Stanford University (Geophysics)
M.S. (2000) Stanford University (Geophysics)
A.B. (1996) Dartmouth College (Earth Sciences)
Science and Products
Input for assessing the impact of noisy data on earthquake magnitude estimates derived from peak ground displacement measured with real-time Global Navigation Satellite System data
This data release complements Murray et al. (2023) which presents a framework for incorporating earthquake magnitude estimates based on real-time Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data into the ShakeAlert® earthquake early warning system for the west coast of the United States. Murray et al. (2023) assess the impact of time-dependent noise in GNSS real-time position estimates on the reliab
Geodetic deformation model results and corrections for use in U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model 2023
This page houses model results used in the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model, 2023. We include results from four geodetic deformation models (Pollitz, Zeng, Shen, Evans), post-seismic relaxation ("ghost transient") calculation (Hearn), and creep calculation (Johnson/Murray). Geologic deformation model results are available in Hatem et al. (2022a).
An overview of all model procedures and comparis
Creep rate models for California faults in the 2023 US National Seismic Hazard Model
Widespread surface creep is observed across a number of active faults included in the US National Seismic Hazard Model. In northern California, creep occurs on the central section of the San Andreas Fault, along the Hayward and Calaveras faults through the San Francisco Bay Area, and to the north coast region along the Maacama and Bartlett Springs faults. In southern California, creep is observed
Filter Total Items: 28
Slip deficit rates on southern Cascadia faults resolved with viscoelastic earthquake cycle modeling of geodetic deformation
The fore‐arc of the southern Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ), north of the Mendocino triple junction (MTJ), is home to a network of Quaternary‐active crustal faults that accumulate strain due to the interaction of the North American, Juan de Fuca (Gorda), and Pacific plates. These faults, including the Little Salmon and Mad River fault (LSF and MRF) zones, are located near the most populated parts
Authors
Kathryn Zerbe Materna, Jessica R. Murray, Fred Pollitz, Jason R. Patton
Incorporation of real-time earthquake magnitudes estimated via peak ground displacement scaling in the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning system
The United States earthquake early warning (EEW) system, ShakeAlert®, currently employs two algorithms based on seismic data alone to characterize the earthquake source, reporting the weighted average of their magnitude estimates. Nonsaturating magnitude estimates derived in real time from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data using peak ground displacement (PGD) scaling relationships off
Authors
Jessica R. Murray, Brendan W. Crowell, Mark Hunter Murray, Carl W Ulberg, Jeffrey McGuire, Mario Aranha, Mike Hagerty
Western U.S. deformation models for the 2023 update to the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model
This report describes geodetic and geologic information used to constrain deformation models of the 2023 update to the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM), a set of deformation models to interpret these data, and their implications for earthquake rates in the western United States. Recent updates provide a much larger data set of Global Positioning System crustal velocities than used in the 2014
Authors
Fred Pollitz, Eileen L. Evans, Edward H. Field, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Elizabeth H. Hearn, Kaj M Johnson, Jessica R. Murray, Peter M. Powers, Zheng-Kang Shen, Crystal Wespestad, Yuehua Zeng
The impact of 3D finite‐fault information on ground‐motion forecasting for earthquake early warning
We identify aspects of finite‐source parameterization that strongly affect the accuracy of estimated ground motion for earthquake early warning (EEW). EEW systems aim to alert users to impending shaking before it reaches them. The U.S. West Coast EEW system, ShakeAlert, currently uses two algorithms based on seismic data to characterize the earthquake’s location, magnitude, and origin time, treati
Authors
Jessica R. Murray, Eric M. Thompson, Annemarie S. Baltay, Sarah E. Minson
Commentary: The role of geodetic algorithms for earthquake early warning in Cascadia
The ShakeAlert earthquake early warning (EEW) system issues public alerts in California and will soon extend to Oregon and Washington. The Cascadia subduction zone presents significant new challenges and opportunities for EEW. Initial publications suggested that EEW algorithms based on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data could provide improved warning for intraslab events and dramatical
Authors
Jeffrey McGuire, Sarah E. Minson, Jessica R. Murray, Benjamin A. Brooks
Kinematics of fault slip associated with the July 4-6 2019 Ridgecrest, Californai earthquakes sequence
The 2019 Ridgecrest, California, earthquake sequence produced observable crustal deformation over much of central and southern California, as well as surface rupture over several tens of kilometers. To obtain a detailed picture of the fault slip involved in the 4 July M 6.4 foreshock and 6 July M 7.1 mainshock, we combine strong‐motion seismic waveforms with crustal deformation observations to obt
Authors
Fred Pollitz, Jessica R. Murray, Jerry L. Svarc, Charles Wicks, Evelyn Roeloffs, Sarah E. Minson, Katherine Scharer, Katherine J. Kendrick, Kenneth W. Hudnut, Johanna Nevitt, Benjamin A. Brooks, David Mencin
Coseismic slip and early afterslip of the M6.0 August 24, 2014 South Napa, California, earthquake
We employ strong motion seismograms and static offsets from the Global Positioning System, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, and other measurements in order to derive a coseismic slip and afterslip model of the M6.0 24 August 2014 South Napa earthquake. This earthquake ruptured an ∼13‐km‐long portion of the West Napa fault with predominantly right‐lateral strike slip. In the kinematic seis
Authors
Fred Pollitz, Jessica R. Murray, Sarah E. Minson, Charles W. Wicks, Jerry L. Svarc, Benjamin A. Brooks
Development of a geodetic component for the U.S. West Coast Earthquake Early Warning System
An earthquake early warning (EEW) system, ShakeAlert, is under development for the West Coast of the United States. This system currently uses the first few seconds of waveforms recorded by seismic instrumentation to rapidly characterize earthquake magnitude, location, and origin time; ShakeAlert recently added a seismic line source algorithm. For large to great earthquakes, magnitudes estimated f
Authors
Jessica R. Murray, Brendan W. Crowell, R. Grapenthin, Kathleen Hodgkinson, John O. Langbein, Timothy Melbourne, Diego Melgar, Sarah E. Minson, David A. Schmidt
Interseismic ground deformation and fault slip rates in the greater San Francisco Bay Area from two decades of space geodetic data
The detailed spatial variations of strain accumulation and creep on major faults in the northern San Francisco Bay Area (North Bay), which are important for seismic potential and evaluation of natural hazards, remain poorly understood. Here we combine interferometric synthetic aperture radar data from the ERS‐1/2 and Envisat satellites between 1992 and 2010 with continuous and campaign GPS data to
Authors
Wenbin Xu, Songbo Wu, Kathryn Materna, Robert Nadeau, Michael Floyd, Gareth J. Funning, Estelle Chaussard, Christopher W. Johnson, Jessica R. Murray, Xiaoling Ding, Roland Burgmann
Revised technical implementation plan for the ShakeAlert system—An earthquake early warning system for the West Coast of the United States
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), along with partner organizations, has developed an earthquake early warning (EEW) system called ShakeAlert for the highest risk areas of the United States: namely, California, Oregon, and Washington. The purpose of the system is to reduce the impact of earthquakes and save lives and property by providing alerts to institutional users and the public. Using network
Authors
Doug Given, Richard M. Allen, Annemarie S. Baltay, Paul Bodin, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Kenneth Creager, Robert M. de Groot, Lind S. Gee, Egill Hauksson, Thomas H. Heaton, Margaret Hellweg, Jessica R. Murray, Valerie I. Thomas, Douglas Toomey, Thomas S. Yelin
Research to improve ShakeAlert earthquake early warning products and their utility
Earthquake early warning (EEW) is the rapid detection of an earthquake and issuance of an alert or notification to people and vulnerable systems likely to experience potentially damaging ground shaking. The level of ground shaking that is considered damaging is defined by the specific application; for example, manufacturing equipment may experience damage at a lower intensity ground shaking than w
Authors
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Brad T. Aagaard, Richard M. Allen, Jennifer Andrews, Annemarie S. Baltay, Andrew J. Barbour, Paul Bodin, Benjamin A. Brooks, Angela Chung, Brendan W. Crowell, Doug Given, Thomas C. Hanks, J. Renate Hartog, Egill Hauksson, Thomas H. Heaton, Sara McBride, Men-Andrin Meier, Diego Melgar, Sarah E. Minson, Jessica R. Murray, Jennifer A. Strauss, Douglas Toomey
Leveraging geodetic data to reduce losses from earthquakes
Seismic hazard assessments that are based on a variety of data and the best available science, coupled with rapid synthesis of real-time information from continuous monitoring networks to guide post-earthquake response, form a solid foundation for effective earthquake loss reduction. With this in mind, the Earthquake Hazards Program (EHP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Hazards Missio
Authors
Jessica R. Murray, Evelyn A. Roeloffs, Benjamin A. Brooks, John O. Langbein, William S. Leith, Sarah E. Minson, Jerry L. Svarc, Wayne R. Thatcher
Science and Products
- Data
Input for assessing the impact of noisy data on earthquake magnitude estimates derived from peak ground displacement measured with real-time Global Navigation Satellite System data
This data release complements Murray et al. (2023) which presents a framework for incorporating earthquake magnitude estimates based on real-time Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data into the ShakeAlert® earthquake early warning system for the west coast of the United States. Murray et al. (2023) assess the impact of time-dependent noise in GNSS real-time position estimates on the reliabGeodetic deformation model results and corrections for use in U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model 2023
This page houses model results used in the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model, 2023. We include results from four geodetic deformation models (Pollitz, Zeng, Shen, Evans), post-seismic relaxation ("ghost transient") calculation (Hearn), and creep calculation (Johnson/Murray). Geologic deformation model results are available in Hatem et al. (2022a). An overview of all model procedures and comparisCreep rate models for California faults in the 2023 US National Seismic Hazard Model
Widespread surface creep is observed across a number of active faults included in the US National Seismic Hazard Model. In northern California, creep occurs on the central section of the San Andreas Fault, along the Hayward and Calaveras faults through the San Francisco Bay Area, and to the north coast region along the Maacama and Bartlett Springs faults. In southern California, creep is observed - Publications
Filter Total Items: 28
Slip deficit rates on southern Cascadia faults resolved with viscoelastic earthquake cycle modeling of geodetic deformation
The fore‐arc of the southern Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ), north of the Mendocino triple junction (MTJ), is home to a network of Quaternary‐active crustal faults that accumulate strain due to the interaction of the North American, Juan de Fuca (Gorda), and Pacific plates. These faults, including the Little Salmon and Mad River fault (LSF and MRF) zones, are located near the most populated partsAuthorsKathryn Zerbe Materna, Jessica R. Murray, Fred Pollitz, Jason R. PattonIncorporation of real-time earthquake magnitudes estimated via peak ground displacement scaling in the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning system
The United States earthquake early warning (EEW) system, ShakeAlert®, currently employs two algorithms based on seismic data alone to characterize the earthquake source, reporting the weighted average of their magnitude estimates. Nonsaturating magnitude estimates derived in real time from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data using peak ground displacement (PGD) scaling relationships offAuthorsJessica R. Murray, Brendan W. Crowell, Mark Hunter Murray, Carl W Ulberg, Jeffrey McGuire, Mario Aranha, Mike HagertyWestern U.S. deformation models for the 2023 update to the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model
This report describes geodetic and geologic information used to constrain deformation models of the 2023 update to the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM), a set of deformation models to interpret these data, and their implications for earthquake rates in the western United States. Recent updates provide a much larger data set of Global Positioning System crustal velocities than used in the 2014AuthorsFred Pollitz, Eileen L. Evans, Edward H. Field, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Elizabeth H. Hearn, Kaj M Johnson, Jessica R. Murray, Peter M. Powers, Zheng-Kang Shen, Crystal Wespestad, Yuehua ZengThe impact of 3D finite‐fault information on ground‐motion forecasting for earthquake early warning
We identify aspects of finite‐source parameterization that strongly affect the accuracy of estimated ground motion for earthquake early warning (EEW). EEW systems aim to alert users to impending shaking before it reaches them. The U.S. West Coast EEW system, ShakeAlert, currently uses two algorithms based on seismic data to characterize the earthquake’s location, magnitude, and origin time, treatiAuthorsJessica R. Murray, Eric M. Thompson, Annemarie S. Baltay, Sarah E. MinsonCommentary: The role of geodetic algorithms for earthquake early warning in Cascadia
The ShakeAlert earthquake early warning (EEW) system issues public alerts in California and will soon extend to Oregon and Washington. The Cascadia subduction zone presents significant new challenges and opportunities for EEW. Initial publications suggested that EEW algorithms based on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data could provide improved warning for intraslab events and dramaticalAuthorsJeffrey McGuire, Sarah E. Minson, Jessica R. Murray, Benjamin A. BrooksKinematics of fault slip associated with the July 4-6 2019 Ridgecrest, Californai earthquakes sequence
The 2019 Ridgecrest, California, earthquake sequence produced observable crustal deformation over much of central and southern California, as well as surface rupture over several tens of kilometers. To obtain a detailed picture of the fault slip involved in the 4 July M 6.4 foreshock and 6 July M 7.1 mainshock, we combine strong‐motion seismic waveforms with crustal deformation observations to obtAuthorsFred Pollitz, Jessica R. Murray, Jerry L. Svarc, Charles Wicks, Evelyn Roeloffs, Sarah E. Minson, Katherine Scharer, Katherine J. Kendrick, Kenneth W. Hudnut, Johanna Nevitt, Benjamin A. Brooks, David MencinCoseismic slip and early afterslip of the M6.0 August 24, 2014 South Napa, California, earthquake
We employ strong motion seismograms and static offsets from the Global Positioning System, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, and other measurements in order to derive a coseismic slip and afterslip model of the M6.0 24 August 2014 South Napa earthquake. This earthquake ruptured an ∼13‐km‐long portion of the West Napa fault with predominantly right‐lateral strike slip. In the kinematic seisAuthorsFred Pollitz, Jessica R. Murray, Sarah E. Minson, Charles W. Wicks, Jerry L. Svarc, Benjamin A. BrooksDevelopment of a geodetic component for the U.S. West Coast Earthquake Early Warning System
An earthquake early warning (EEW) system, ShakeAlert, is under development for the West Coast of the United States. This system currently uses the first few seconds of waveforms recorded by seismic instrumentation to rapidly characterize earthquake magnitude, location, and origin time; ShakeAlert recently added a seismic line source algorithm. For large to great earthquakes, magnitudes estimated fAuthorsJessica R. Murray, Brendan W. Crowell, R. Grapenthin, Kathleen Hodgkinson, John O. Langbein, Timothy Melbourne, Diego Melgar, Sarah E. Minson, David A. SchmidtInterseismic ground deformation and fault slip rates in the greater San Francisco Bay Area from two decades of space geodetic data
The detailed spatial variations of strain accumulation and creep on major faults in the northern San Francisco Bay Area (North Bay), which are important for seismic potential and evaluation of natural hazards, remain poorly understood. Here we combine interferometric synthetic aperture radar data from the ERS‐1/2 and Envisat satellites between 1992 and 2010 with continuous and campaign GPS data toAuthorsWenbin Xu, Songbo Wu, Kathryn Materna, Robert Nadeau, Michael Floyd, Gareth J. Funning, Estelle Chaussard, Christopher W. Johnson, Jessica R. Murray, Xiaoling Ding, Roland BurgmannRevised technical implementation plan for the ShakeAlert system—An earthquake early warning system for the West Coast of the United States
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), along with partner organizations, has developed an earthquake early warning (EEW) system called ShakeAlert for the highest risk areas of the United States: namely, California, Oregon, and Washington. The purpose of the system is to reduce the impact of earthquakes and save lives and property by providing alerts to institutional users and the public. Using networkAuthorsDoug Given, Richard M. Allen, Annemarie S. Baltay, Paul Bodin, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Kenneth Creager, Robert M. de Groot, Lind S. Gee, Egill Hauksson, Thomas H. Heaton, Margaret Hellweg, Jessica R. Murray, Valerie I. Thomas, Douglas Toomey, Thomas S. YelinResearch to improve ShakeAlert earthquake early warning products and their utility
Earthquake early warning (EEW) is the rapid detection of an earthquake and issuance of an alert or notification to people and vulnerable systems likely to experience potentially damaging ground shaking. The level of ground shaking that is considered damaging is defined by the specific application; for example, manufacturing equipment may experience damage at a lower intensity ground shaking than wAuthorsElizabeth S. Cochran, Brad T. Aagaard, Richard M. Allen, Jennifer Andrews, Annemarie S. Baltay, Andrew J. Barbour, Paul Bodin, Benjamin A. Brooks, Angela Chung, Brendan W. Crowell, Doug Given, Thomas C. Hanks, J. Renate Hartog, Egill Hauksson, Thomas H. Heaton, Sara McBride, Men-Andrin Meier, Diego Melgar, Sarah E. Minson, Jessica R. Murray, Jennifer A. Strauss, Douglas ToomeyLeveraging geodetic data to reduce losses from earthquakes
Seismic hazard assessments that are based on a variety of data and the best available science, coupled with rapid synthesis of real-time information from continuous monitoring networks to guide post-earthquake response, form a solid foundation for effective earthquake loss reduction. With this in mind, the Earthquake Hazards Program (EHP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Hazards MissioAuthorsJessica R. Murray, Evelyn A. Roeloffs, Benjamin A. Brooks, John O. Langbein, William S. Leith, Sarah E. Minson, Jerry L. Svarc, Wayne R. Thatcher