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The Parkfield prediction fallacy The Parkfield prediction fallacy

The Parkfield earthquake prediction is generally stated as a 95% probability that the next moderate earthquake there should occur before January 1993. That time limit is based on a two-sided 95% confidence interval. Because at the time of the prediction (1985) it was already clear that the earthquake had not occurred prior to 1985, a one-sided 95% confidence interval would have been more
Authors
James C. Savage

Rainfall-threshold conditions for landslides in a humid-tropical system Rainfall-threshold conditions for landslides in a humid-tropical system

Landslides are triggered by factors such as heavy rainfall, seismic activity, and construction on hillslopes. The leading cause of landslides in Puerto Rico is intense and/or prolonged rainfall. A rainfall threshold for rainfall-triggered landsliding is delimited by 256 storms that occurred between 1959 and 1991 in the central mountains of Puerto Rico, where mean annual rainfall is close...
Authors
Matthew C. Larsen, Andrew Simon

Broad trends in geomagnetic paleointensity on Hawaii during Holocene time Broad trends in geomagnetic paleointensity on Hawaii during Holocene time

Paleointensity determinations have been obtained from 22 basaltic lava flows on the island of Hawaii using the Thelliers' method. Radiocarbon dating indicates that these flows erupted at intervals ranging from about 200 to 1000 years, and results of the experiments provide an estimate of broad trends in geomagnetic paleointensity during Holocene time in the vicinity of Hawaii. Most of...
Authors
Edward A. Mankinen, Duane E. Champion

GIS mapping of earthquake ground shaking in San Francisco, California GIS mapping of earthquake ground shaking in San Francisco, California

Severe earthquakes of the last decade in Mexico, Armenia, and the United States have reemphasized the importance of local geologic site conditions in estimating damage and consequent losses. Recent advances in geographic information system (GIS) technology have created new opportunities for maintaining and integrating extensive spatial databases for applications in seismic hazard...
Authors
S.A. King, Anne S. Kiremidjian, Roger D. Borcherdt, Carl M. Wentworth

Velocity measurements and changes in position of Thwaites Glacier/iceberg tongue from aerial photography, Landsat images and NOAA AVHRR data Velocity measurements and changes in position of Thwaites Glacier/iceberg tongue from aerial photography, Landsat images and NOAA AVHRR data

The Thwaites Glacier/iceberg tongue complex has been a significant feature of the Antarctic coastline for at least 50 years. In 1986, major changes began to occur in this area. Fast ice melted and several icebergs calved from the base of the iceberg tongue and the terminus of Thwaites Glacier. The iceberg tongue rotated to an east-west orientation and drifted westward. Between 1986 and...
Authors
Jane G. Ferrigno, Baerbel K. Lucchitta, A. L. Mullinsallison, Robert J. Allen, W. G. Gould

Publications of the Branch of Atlantic Marine Geology for Calendar Year 1992 Publications of the Branch of Atlantic Marine Geology for Calendar Year 1992

This U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report contains a listing of publications authored or co-authored by members of the Branch of Atlantic Marine Geology and published in calendar year 1992. The Branch conducts a broad geologic and geophysical research and mapping program, primarily along the U.S. Atlantic Margin, in the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and polar regions...
Authors
Margaret C. Mons-Wengler, Robert N. Oldale

Where lava meets the sea; Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii Where lava meets the sea; Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

Active volcanoes on the island of Hawai'i provide scientists with exceptional opportunities to observe volcanic phenomena at close range. Such an opportunity occurred on November 24, 1992, when geologists from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) witnessed spectacular explosive interactions between lava and seawater on the southeast coast of the island. As seawater invaded submarine...
Authors
T. N. Mattox

Slumgullion; Colorado’s natural landslide laboratory Slumgullion; Colorado’s natural landslide laboratory

The mammoth Slumgullion landslide in southwestern Colorado is the largest actively moving landslide in Colorado and, perhaps, the entire country. To learn more about how and why landslides move the way they do, scientists at the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) have observed and monitored the remarkably regular movement of this landslide for more than 30 years. Located near Lake City in the...
Authors
L.M. Highland
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