Philibosian, B., K. Sieh, J.-P. Avouac, D. H. Natawidjaja, H.-W. Chiang, C.-C. Wu, C.-C. Shen, M. R. Daryono, H. Perfettini, B. W. Suwargadi, Y. Lu, and X. Wang (2017). Earthquake supercycles of the Mentawai segment of the Sunda Megathrust in the 17th century and earlier, Journal of Geophysical Research 122, doi:10.1002/2016JB013560.
Belle Philibosian
The focus of my research is to understand the earthquake cycle, using techniques drawn from the fields of active tectonics and paleoseismology. In various projects I have employed imagery- and LiDAR-based fault mapping, paleoseismic trenching, GPS and InSAR observations, and coral microatoll paleogeodesy. I pursue the dual goals of scientific understanding and hazard assessment of earthquakes.
Biography
EDUCATION
2013 Ph.D. Geology, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology
2007 M.S. Geological Sciences, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon
2005 B.S. Geology, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology
EMPLOYMENT
2019–present Research Geologist, Earthquake Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey
2016–2019 Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research Geologist, Earthquake Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey
2015–2016 Columbia Science Fellow, Columbia University
2013–2015 AXA Postdoctoral Researcher, Equipe de Tectonique, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
Science and Products
Year Published: 2020
Segmentation and supercycles: A catalog of earthquake rupture patterns from the Sumatran Sunda Megathrust and other well-studied faults worldwide
After more than 100 years of earthquake research, earthquake forecasting, which relies on knowledge of past fault rupture patterns, has become the foundation for societal defense against seismic natural disasters. A concept that has come into focus more recently is that rupture segmentation and cyclicity can be complex, and that a characteristic...
Philibosian, Belle; Meltzner, Aron J.Attribution: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, California Water Science Center, Water Resources, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Water Resources, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Earthquake Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards Program
Year Published: 2020
Surface displacement distributions for the July 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake ruptures
The 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake sequence generated surface fault rupture along two orthogonal cross faults, including the dominantly left-lateral and northeast-striking Mw6.4 rupture and dominantly right-lateral and northwest-striking Mw7.1 rupture. We present >650 field-based surface-displacement observations for these ruptures,...
Duross, Christopher; Gold, Ryan D.; Dawson, Timothy E.; Scharer, Katherine; Kendrick, Katherine; Akciz, Sinan; Angster, Stephen J.; Bachhuber, Jeffery; Bacon, Steven; Bennett, Scott E. K.; Blair, Luke; Brooks, Benjamin A.; Bullard, Thomas; Burgess, W. Paul; Chupik, Colin; DeFrisco, Michael; Delano, Jaime; Dolan, James D.; Frost, Erik; Graehl, Nick; Haddon, Elizabeth; Hatem, Alexandra Elise; Hernandez, Janis; Hitchcock, Christopher S.; Hudnut, Kennth; Thompson Jobe, Jessica; Koehler, Richard D; Kozaci, Ozgur; Ladinsky, Tyler C.; Madugo, Christopher; McPhillips, Devin; Milliner, Christopher; Morelan, Alexander; Olson, Brian; Patton, Jason; Philibosian, Belle; Pickering, Alexandra J.; Pierce, Ian; Ponti, Daniel J.; Seitz, Gordon G.; Spangler, Eleanor; Swanson, Brian J.; Thomas, Kate; Treiman, Jerome; Valencia, Francesca; Williams, Alana; Zinke, RobertAttribution: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, California Water Science Center, Water Resources, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Water Resources, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Earthquake Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards Program, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Western Fisheries Research Center, Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Ecosystems, Central Energy Resources Science Center, Energy Resources Program, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems, United States of America, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Water Resources, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Land Resources, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, California Water Science Center, Water Resources, Core Science Systems, National Geospatial Program, National Geospatial Technical Operations Center, Core Science Systems, National Geospatial Program, National Geospatial Technical Operations Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Community for Data Integration (CDI), Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS), United States of America, Utah Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Alaska Science Center, Ecosystems, Region 11: Alaska, Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems, Western Ecological Research Center, Ecosystems, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin, Washington Water Science Center, Water Resources, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Central Energy Resources Science Center, Energy Resources Program, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin, Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems, Science and Decisions Center, Alaska Science Center, Ecosystems, Region 11: Alaska, Utah Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Water, New Jersey Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, New Jersey, United States of America, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Water Resources, Washington Water Science Center, Water Resources, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Ecosystems, Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems, Earthquake Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Ecosystems, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, National Geospatial Program, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards Program, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
Year Published: 2020
Coupling of Indo-Pacific climate variability over the last millennium
The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) impacts climate and rainfall across the world, and most severely in nations surrounding the Indian Ocean1-4. The frequency and intensity of positive IOD events increased during the 20th Century5 and may continue to intensify in a warming world6; however, confidence in future IOD changes is limited by known biases in...
Abram, Nerilie J.; Wright, Nicky M.; Ellis, Bethany; Dixon, Bronwyn C.; Wurtzel, Jennifer B.; England, Matthew H.; Ummenhofer, Caroline C.; Philibosian, Belle; Cahyarini, Sri Yudawati; Yu, Tsai-Luen; Shen, Chuan-Chou; Cheng, Hai; Edwards, R. Lawrence; Heslop, David
Year Published: 2011
San Andreas fault earthquake chronology and Lake Cahuilla history at Coachella, California
The southernmost ~100 km of the San Andreas fault has not ruptured historically. It is imperative to determine its rupture history to better predict its future behavior. This paleoseismic investigation in Coachella, California, establishes a chronology of at least five and up to seven major earthquakes during the past ~1100 yr. This chronology...
Philibosian, B.; Fumal, T.; Weldon, R.View Citation
San Andreas fault earthquake chronology and Lake Cahuilla history at Coachella, California; 2011; Article; Journal; Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America; Philibosian, B.; Fumal, T.; Weldon, R.
Year Published: 2009
Photomosaics and Logs of Trenches on the San Andreas Fault near Coachella, California
Valley in southern California east of Dillon Road and south of Avenue 44. Three benched trenches, a total of more than 950 m, were excavated across the fault zone as part of an Alquist-Priolo fault investigation study. These trenches exposed a thick section of latest Holocene lacustrine, fluvial, and shoreline deposits. Only the central and...
Philibosian, Belle; Fumal, Thomas E.; Weldon, Ray J.; Kendrick, Katherine J.; Scharer, Katherine M.; Bemis, Sean P.; Burgette, Reed J.; Wisely, Beth A.View Citation
Photomosaics and Logs of Trenches on the San Andreas Fault near Coachella, California; 2009; OFR; 2009-1039; Philibosian, Belle; Fumal, Thomas E.; Weldon, Ray J., II; Kendrick, Katherine J.; Scharer, Katherine M.; Bemis, Sean P.; Burgette, Reed J.; Wisely, Beth A.
Pre-USGS Publications
Philibosian, B., K. Sieh, J.-P. Avouac, D. H. Natawidjaja, H.-W. Chiang, C.-C. Wu, H. Perfettini, C.-C. Shen, M. R. Daryono, and B. W. Suwargadi (2014). Rupture and variable coupling behavior of the Mentawai segment of the Sunda megathrust during the supercycle culmination of 1797 to 1833, Journal of Geophysical Research 119, doi: 10.1002/2014JB011200.
Philibosian, B., K. Sieh, D.H. Natawidjaja, H.-W. Chiang, C.-C. Shen, B.W. Suwargadi, E.M. Hill, and R.L. Edwards (2012). An ancient shallow slip event on the Mentawai segment of the Sunda Megathrust, Sumatra. Journal of Geophysical Research 117, B05401, doi:10.1029/2011JB009075.
Philibosian, B., and M. Simons (2011). A survey of volcanic deformation on Java using ALOS PALSAR interferometric time series. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 12, Q11004, doi:10.1029/2011GC003775.