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Putting down roots in earthquake country: Your handbook for earthquakes in the Central United States Putting down roots in earthquake country: Your handbook for earthquakes in the Central United States

This handbook provides information to residents of the Central United States about the threat of earthquakes in that area, particularly along the New Madrid seismic zone, and explains how to prepare for, survive, and recover from such events. It explains the need for concern about earthquakes for those residents and describes what one can expect during and after an earthquake. Much is...
Authors
Richard Contributors: Dart, Jill McCarthy, Natasha McCallister, Robert A. Williams

Overview of the ARkStorm scenario Overview of the ARkStorm scenario

The U.S. Geological Survey, Multi Hazards Demonstration Project (MHDP) uses hazards science to improve resiliency of communities to natural disasters including earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, landslides, floods and coastal erosion. The project engages emergency planners, businesses, universities, government agencies, and others in preparing for major natural disasters. The project also...
Authors
Keith Porter, Anne Wein, Charles N. Alpers, Allan Baez, Patrick L. Barnard, James Carter, Alessandra Corsi, James Costner, Dale Cox, Tapash Das, Mike Dettinger, James Done, Charles Eadie, Marcia Eymann, Justin Ferris, Prasad Gunturi, Mimi Hughes, Robert Jarrett, Laurie Johnson, Hanh Dam Le-Griffin, David Mitchell, Suzette Morman, Paul Neiman, Anna Olsen, Suzanne Perry, Geoffrey Plumlee, Martin Ralph, David Reynolds, Adam Rose, Kathleen Schaefer, Julie Serakos, William Siembieda, Jonathan D. Stock, David Strong, Ian Sue Wing, Alex Tang, Pete Thomas, Ken Topping, Chris Wills, Lucile Jones

Cyclic spattering, seismic tremor, and surface fluctuation within a perched lava channel, Kilauea Volcano Cyclic spattering, seismic tremor, and surface fluctuation within a perched lava channel, Kilauea Volcano

In late 2007, a perched lava channel, built up to 45 m above the preexisting surface, developed during the ongoing eruption near Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone on Kīlauea Volcano’s east rift zone. The lava channel was segmented into four pools extending over a total of 1.4 km. From late October to mid-December, a cyclic behavior, consisting of steady lava level rise terminated by vigorous spattering and...
Authors
Matthew R. Patrick, Tim R. Orr, David C. Wilson, David C. Dow, R. Freeman

Electrical properties of methane hydrate + sediment mixtures Electrical properties of methane hydrate + sediment mixtures

As part of our DOE-funded proposal to characterize gas hydrate in the Gulf of Mexico using marine electromagnetic methods, a collaboration between SIO, LLNL, and USGS with the goal of measuring the electrical properties of lab-created methane (CH4) hydrate and sediment mixtures was formed. We examined samples with known characteristics to better relate electrical properties measured in...
Authors
Wyatt L. Du Frane, Laura A. Stern, Karen A. Weitemeyer, Steven Constable, Jeffery J. Roberts

Constraints on mechanisms for the growth of gully alcoves in Gasa crater, Mars, from two-dimensional stability assessments of rock slopes Constraints on mechanisms for the growth of gully alcoves in Gasa crater, Mars, from two-dimensional stability assessments of rock slopes

The value of slope stability analyses for gaining insight into the geologic conditions that would facilitate the growth of gully alcoves on Mars is demonstrated in Gasa crater. Two-dimensional limit equilibrium methods are used in conjunction with high-resolution topography derived from stereo High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) imagery. These analyses reveal three...
Authors
Chris H. Okubo, Livio L. Tornabene, Nina L. Lanza

Regional-scale stratigraphy of surface units in Tyrrhena and Iapygia Terrae, Mars: Insights into highland crustal evolution and alteration history Regional-scale stratigraphy of surface units in Tyrrhena and Iapygia Terrae, Mars: Insights into highland crustal evolution and alteration history

The compositional, thermophysical and geologic characteristics of surface units in Iapygia and Tyrrhena Terra (60°E–100°E, 0°–30°S) provide new insights into the compositional stratigraphy of the region. Intercrater plains are dominated by two surface units. The older unit (unit 1) is deficient in olivine and more degraded and likely consists of a mixture of impact, volcanic and...
Authors
A. Deanne Rogers, Robin L. Fergason

Deep rock damage in the San Andreas Fault revealed by P- and S-type fault-zone-guided waves Deep rock damage in the San Andreas Fault revealed by P- and S-type fault-zone-guided waves

Damage to fault-zone rocks during fault slip results in the formation of a channel of low seismic-wave velocities. Within such channels guided seismic waves, denoted by Fg, can propagate. Here we show with core samples, well logs and Fg-waves that such a channel is crossed by the SAFOD (San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth) borehole at a depth of 2.7 km near Parkfield, California, USA...
Authors
William L. Ellsworth, Peter E. Malin

Ground motion attenuation during M 7.1 Darfield and M 6.2 Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquakes and performance of global predictive models Ground motion attenuation during M 7.1 Darfield and M 6.2 Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquakes and performance of global predictive models

The M 7.1 Darfield earthquake occurred 40 km west of Christchurch (New Zealand) on 4 September 2010. Six months after, the city was struck again with an M 6.2 event on 22 February local time (21 February UTC). These events resulted in significant damage to infrastructure in the city and its suburbs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of global predictive models...
Authors
Margaret Segou, Erol Kalkan

Geodetic slip model of the 2011 M9.0 Tohoku earthquake Geodetic slip model of the 2011 M9.0 Tohoku earthquake

The three-dimensional crustal displacement field as sampled by GPS is used to determine the coseismic slip of the 2011 M9.0 Tohoku Earthquake. We employ a spherically layered Earth structure and use a combination of onland GPS, out to ∼4000 km from the rupture, and offshore GPS, which samples the high-slip region on the interplate boundary along the Japan trench. Inversion of the...
Authors
Frederick Pollitz, Roland Bürgmann, Paramesh Banerjee

Seismic seiches Seismic seiches

Seismic seiche is a term first used by Kvale (1955) to discuss oscillations of lake levels in Norway and England caused by the Assam earthquake of August 15, 1950. This definition has since been generalized to apply to standing waves set up in closed, or partially closed, bodies of water including rivers, shipping channels, lakes, swimming pools and tanks due to the passage of seismic...
Authors
Arthur McGarr

Overview of the 2010 Haiti earthquake Overview of the 2010 Haiti earthquake

The 12 January 2010 Mw 7.0 earthquake in the Republic of Haiti caused an estimated 300,000 deaths, displaced more than a million people, and damaged nearly half of all structures in the epicentral area. We provide an overview of the historical, seismological, geotechnical, structural, lifeline-related, and socioeconomic factors that contributed to the catastrophe. We also describe some...
Authors
Reginald DesRoches, Mary Comerio, Marc Eberhard, Walter D. Mooney, Glenn R. Rix

Assessment of topographic and drainage network controls on debris-flow travel distance along the west coast of the United States Assessment of topographic and drainage network controls on debris-flow travel distance along the west coast of the United States

To better understand controls on debris-flow entrainment and travel distance, we examined topographic and drainage network characteristics of initiation locations in two separate debris-flow prone areas located 700 km apart along the west coast of the U.S. One area was located in northern California, the other in southern Oregon. In both areas, debris flows mobilized from slides during...
Authors
Jeffrey A. Coe, Mark E. Reid, Dainne L. Brien, John A. Michael
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