Publications
Educational Publications
Educational Publications
Selected publications about earthquakes In plain language.
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Probability of one or more M ≥7 earthquakes in southern California in 30 years Probability of one or more M ≥7 earthquakes in southern California in 30 years
Eight earthquakes of magnitude greater than or equal to seven have occurred in southern California in the past 200 years. If one assumes that such events are the product of a Poisson process, the probability of one or more earthquakes of magnitude seven or larger in southern California within any 30 year interval is 67% ± 23% (95% confidence interval). Because five of the eight M ≥ 7...
Authors
James C. Savage
Crustal structure beneath the Kenya Rift from axial profile data Crustal structure beneath the Kenya Rift from axial profile data
Modelling of the KRISP 90 axial line data shows that major crustal thinning occurs along the axis of the Kenya Rift from Moho depths of 35 km in the south beneath the Kenya Dome in the vicinity of Lake Naivasha to 20 km in the north beneath Lake Turkana. Low Pn velocities of 7.5–7.7 km/s are found beneath the whole of the axial line. The results indicate that crustal extension increases...
Authors
J. Mechie, Gordon R. Keller, C. Prodehl, S. Gaciri, L.W. Braile, Walter D. Mooney, D. Gajewski, K.-J. Sandmeier
Seismic structure of the uppermost mantle beneath the Kenya rift Seismic structure of the uppermost mantle beneath the Kenya rift
A major goal of the Kenya Rift International Seismic Project (KRISP) 1990 experiment was the determination of deep lithospheric structure. In the refraction/wide-angle reflection part of the KRISP effort, the experiment was designed to obtain arrivals to distances in excess of 400 km. Phases from interfaces within the mantle were recorded from many shotpoints, and by design, the best...
Authors
Gordon R. Keller, J. Mechie, L.W. Braile, Walter D. Mooney, C. Prodehl
The KRISP 90 seismic experiment-a technical review The KRISP 90 seismic experiment-a technical review
On the basis of a preliminary experiment in 1985 (KRISP 85), a seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection survey and a teleseismic tomography experiment were jointly undertaken to study the lithospheric structure of the Kenya rift down to depths of greater than 200 km. This report serves as an introduction to a series of subsequent papers and will focus on the technical description of the...
Authors
C. Prodehl, J. Mechie, U. Achauer, Gordon R. Keller, M.A. Khan, Walter D. Mooney, S.J. Gaciri, J.D. Obel
The East African rift system in the light of KRISP 90 The East African rift system in the light of KRISP 90
On the basis of a test experiment in 1985 (KRISP 85) an integrated seismic-refraction/teleseismic survey (KRISP 90) was undertaken to study the deep structure beneath the Kenya rift down to depths of 100–150 km. This paper summarizes the highlights of KRISP 90 as reported in this volume and discusses their broad implications as well as the structure of the Kenya rift in the general...
Authors
Gordon R. Keller, C. Prodehl, J. Mechie, K. Fuchs, M.A. Khan, Peter K.H. Maguire, Walter D. Mooney, U. Achauer, P.M. Davis, R.P. Meyer, L.W. Braile, I.O. Nyambok, G. A. Thompson
Chapter C. The Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989 - Fire, police, transportation and hazardous materials Chapter C. The Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989 - Fire, police, transportation and hazardous materials
The papers in this chapter discuss some of the failures and successes that resulted from the societal response by a multitude of agencies to the Loma Prieta earthquake. Some of the lessons learned were old ones relearned. Other lessons were obvious ones which had gone unnoticed. Still, knowledge gained from past earthquakes spawned planning and mitigation efforts which proved to be...
Authors
Charles R. Scawthorn
The Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989 — Hydrologic disturbances The Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989 — Hydrologic disturbances
Seismic events have long been known to cause changes in the level of oceans, streams, lakes, and the water table. The great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 induced significant hydrologic changes that were qualitatively similar to those changes observed for the Loma Prieta earthquake. What is different is that the hydrologic data sets collected from the Loma Prieta event have enough...
The Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989: Strong ground motion The Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989: Strong ground motion
Strong ground motion generated by the Loma Prieta, Calif., earthquake (MS~7.1) of October 17, 1989, resulted in at least 63 deaths, more than 3,757 injuries, and damage estimated to exceed $5.9 billion. Strong ground motion severely damaged critical lifelines (freeway overpasses, bridges, and pipelines), caused severe damage to poorly constructed buildings, and induced a significant...
Authors
Roger D. Borcherdt, A. Gerald Brady, A.F. Shakal, V.F. Cormier, Wei-Jou Su, Jeffry L. Stevens, Steven M. Day, John E. Vidale, Ornella Bonamassa, Paul G. Somerville, Nancy F. Smith, Robert Graves, Gary Glassmoyer, Kyle Rollins, Michael D. Mchood, Roman D. Hryciw, Matthew Homolka, Scott E. Shewbridge, Harvey Carlisle, Nicholas Sitar, Rodrigo Salgado, Pedro de Alba, J. Benoit, Daniel G. Pass, John Carter, T. Leslie Youd, E. H. Field, Susan E. Hough, K.H. Jacob, Paul A. Friberg, Arthur D. Frankel, R. Busby, Robert A. Williams, Edward Cranswick, Kenneth W. King, Grant T. Lindley, Ralph J. Archuleta, Janice M. Murphy, Steven G. Wesnousky
Quaternary tectonics of Utah with emphasis on earthquake-hazard characterization Quaternary tectonics of Utah with emphasis on earthquake-hazard characterization
This report consolidates and synthesizes information on Quaternary faulting, folding, and volcanism in Utah and characterizes recent tectonic activity throughout the state. The primary purpose is to provide a comprehensive reference on faultspecific seismic sources and surface rupture to facilitate the evaluation of earthquake hazards in Utah. Two 1:500,000-scale maps show Quaternary...
Authors
Suzanne Hecker
Seismic evidence for active magmatic underplating beneath the Basin and Range Province, western United States Seismic evidence for active magmatic underplating beneath the Basin and Range Province, western United States
Near-vertical and wide-angle seismic reflection data provide evidence for the presence of a magma body at the base of the crust beneath Buena Vista Valley in northwestern Nevada. The seismic response of this hypothesized magma body is characterized by high-amplitude, near-vertical P wave reflections and a comparably strong P-to-S converted phase. The magma body, referred to here as the...
Authors
Craig M. Jarchow, George A. Thompson, Rufus D. Catchings, Walter D. Mooney
Deformation from 1973 to 1987 in the epicentral area of the 1959 Hebgen Lake, Montana, earthquake (Ms = 7.5) Deformation from 1973 to 1987 in the epicentral area of the 1959 Hebgen Lake, Montana, earthquake (Ms = 7.5)
A 40‐km aperture trilateration network centered on the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake epicenter has been surveyed in 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1984, and 1987. The deformation inferred from those surveys is described roughly by a uniaxial, 0.266 ± 0.014 μstrain/yr, N15°E ± 1°extension that is uniform in both time and space. That extension is orthogonal to the strike (N78°W ± 5°) of the...
Authors
James C. Savage, Michael Lisowski, W.H. Prescott, A.D. Pitt
Deformation from 1973 through 1991 in the epicentral area of the 1992 Landers, California, Earthquake (Ms = 7.5) Deformation from 1973 through 1991 in the epicentral area of the 1992 Landers, California, Earthquake (Ms = 7.5)
Deformation of a 50 × 60 km trilateration network that spans the epicenter of the 1992 Landers earthquake(Ms = 7.5) was measured by seven surveys over the 19 years preceding the earthquake. Three moderate earthquakes (1979 Homestead Valley, Ms = 5.6; 1986 North Palm Springs, Ms = 6.0; and 1992 Joshua Tree, Ms = 6.1) occurred within the network during those 19 years. Here we use geodetic...
Authors
James C. Savage, Michael Lisowski, M. Murray