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Cecily J. Wolfe, Ph.D.

Cecily Wolfe is a geophysicist who serves as Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) Coordinator and Associate Coordinator for Earthquake Hazards, Global Seismographic Network, and Geomagnetism Programs.

Cecily Wolfe is Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) Coordinator and Associate Coordinator for Earthquake Hazards, Global Seismographic Network, and Geomagnetism Programs. She joined the USGS in 2012 and has helped oversee the development of the ANSS and its ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system. Before joining the USGS, she was a professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (2000-2012), a scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (1997-2000), and a postdoctoral fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Washington (1994-1996).  She has over 50 publications in areas of seismology, marine seismology, earthquake studies, and volcanology.

Professional Experience

  • 2012 - Present USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

  • 2000 - 2012 University of Hawaii at Manoa

  • 1997 - 2000 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

  • 1994 - 1996 Carnegie Institution of Washington

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program, 1994

  • B.A., Brown University, 1986

Science and Products

link
map of Alaska area with 2020-2021 earthquakes, showing circles for earthquake locations

External Grants - Overview

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides support for research that will assist in achieving the goals of the Earthquake Hazards Program. The goal is to mitigate earthquake losses that can occur in many parts of the nation by providing earth science data and assessments essential for land-use planning, engineering design, and emergency preparedness decisions.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program
link

External Grants - Overview

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides support for research that will assist in achieving the goals of the Earthquake Hazards Program. The goal is to mitigate earthquake losses that can occur in many parts of the nation by providing earth science data and assessments essential for land-use planning, engineering design, and emergency preparedness decisions.
Learn More

U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program decadal science strategy, 2024–33

Executive Summary Earthquakes represent one of our Nation’s most significant and costly natural hazards, with estimated annual loses from earthquakes close to $15 billion in 2023. Over the past two centuries, 37 U.S. States have experienced an earthquake exceeding a magnitude of 5, and 50 percent of States have a significant potential for future damaging shaking; these statistics speak to the need
Authors
Gavin P. Hayes, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, William D. Barnhart, Michael L. Blanpied, Lindsay A. Davis, Paul S. Earle, Ned Field, Jill M. Franks, Douglas D. Given, Ryan D. Gold, Christine A Goulet, Michelle M. Guy, Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Nico Luco, Frederick Pollitz, Adam T. Ringler, Katherine M. Scharer, Steven Sobieszczyk, Valerie I. Thomas, Cecily J. Wolfe
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program

Preliminary observations of the April 5th, 2024, Mw4.8 New Jersey earthquake

On 5 April 2024, 10:23 a.m. local time, a moment magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, about 65 km west of New York City. Millions of people from Virginia to Maine and beyond felt the ground shaking, resulting in the largest number (>180,000) of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) “Did You Feel It?” reports of any earthquake. A team deployed by the Geotechnical Extreme Events R
Authors
Oliver S. Boyd, William D. Barnhart, James Bourke, Martin C. Chapman, Paul S. Earle, Guo-chin Dino Huang, Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, Won-Young Kim, Frederick Link, Mairi Maclean Litherland, Andrew Lloyd, Maureen Long, Sara McBride, Andrew J. Michael, Walter D. Mooney, Gregory Moutain, Sissy Nikolaou, Alexandros Savvaidas, Felix Waldhauser, Cecily J. Wolfe, Clara Yoon
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Geophysical advances triggered by 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake

A little more than 50 years ago, on 27 March 1964, the Great Alaska earthquake and tsunami struck. At moment magnitude 9.2, this earthquake is notable as the largest in U.S. written history and as the second-largest ever recorded by instruments worldwide. But what resonates today are its impacts on the understanding of plate tectonics, tsunami generation, and earthquake history as well as on the d

Authors
Peter J. Haeussler, William S. Leith, David J. Wald, John R. Filson, Cecily J. Wolfe, David Applegate
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center

Ambient seismic noise interferometry in Hawai'i reveals long-range observability of volcanic tremor

The use of seismic noise interferometry to retrieve Green's functions and the analysis of volcanic tremor are both useful in studying volcano dynamics. Whereas seismic noise interferometry allows long-range extraction of interpretable signals from a relatively weak noise wavefield, the characterization of volcanic tremor often requires a dense seismic array close to the source. We here show that s
Authors
Silke Ballmer, Cecily J. Wolfe, Paul G. Okubo, Matthew M. Haney, Clifford H. Thurber
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

High‐resolution locations of triggered earthquakes and tomographic imaging of Kilauea Volcano's south flank

The spatiotemporal patterns of seismicity beneath Kilauea's south flank give insight to the structure and geometry of the decollement on which large, tsunamigenic earthquakes have occurred, and its relation to slow slip events (SSEs), which have been observed every 1 to 2 years since 1997. In order to record earthquakes triggered by a SSE that was predicted to occur in March 2007, a temporary netw
Authors
Ellen M. Syracuse, Clifford H. Thurber, Cecily J. Wolfe, Paul G. Okubo, James H. Foster, Benjamin A. Brooks
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Earthquake Science Center

Kiholo Bay, Hawaii, earthquake sequence of 2006: Relationship of the main shock slip with locations and source parameters of aftershocks

We study the source process of the Kīholo Bay earthquake (MW 6.7), which occurred beneath the northwest part of the Island of Hawai‘i on 15 October 2006, and static stress drops of small earthquakes that occurred in 2006 and 2007 around the main shock including aftershocks. We relocate the aftershocks to determine the fault plane from the two nodal planes. The relocated aftershocks define an E‐W t
Authors
Takuji Yamada, Paul G. Okubo, Cecily J. Wolfe
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Earthquake Science Center

Magmatically triggered slow slip at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

We demonstrate that a recent dike intrusion probably triggered a slow fault-slip event (SSE) on Kilauea volcano's mobile south flank. Our analysis combined models of Advanced Land Observing Satellite interferometric dike-intrusion displacement maps with continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) displacement vectors to show that deformation nearly identical to four previous SSEs at Kilauea occurre
Authors
Benjamin A. Brooks, James Foster, David Sandwell, Cecily J. Wolfe, Paul G. Okubo, Michael P. Poland, David Myer
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Science and Products

link
map of Alaska area with 2020-2021 earthquakes, showing circles for earthquake locations

External Grants - Overview

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides support for research that will assist in achieving the goals of the Earthquake Hazards Program. The goal is to mitigate earthquake losses that can occur in many parts of the nation by providing earth science data and assessments essential for land-use planning, engineering design, and emergency preparedness decisions.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program
link

External Grants - Overview

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides support for research that will assist in achieving the goals of the Earthquake Hazards Program. The goal is to mitigate earthquake losses that can occur in many parts of the nation by providing earth science data and assessments essential for land-use planning, engineering design, and emergency preparedness decisions.
Learn More

U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program decadal science strategy, 2024–33

Executive Summary Earthquakes represent one of our Nation’s most significant and costly natural hazards, with estimated annual loses from earthquakes close to $15 billion in 2023. Over the past two centuries, 37 U.S. States have experienced an earthquake exceeding a magnitude of 5, and 50 percent of States have a significant potential for future damaging shaking; these statistics speak to the need
Authors
Gavin P. Hayes, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, William D. Barnhart, Michael L. Blanpied, Lindsay A. Davis, Paul S. Earle, Ned Field, Jill M. Franks, Douglas D. Given, Ryan D. Gold, Christine A Goulet, Michelle M. Guy, Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Nico Luco, Frederick Pollitz, Adam T. Ringler, Katherine M. Scharer, Steven Sobieszczyk, Valerie I. Thomas, Cecily J. Wolfe
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program

Preliminary observations of the April 5th, 2024, Mw4.8 New Jersey earthquake

On 5 April 2024, 10:23 a.m. local time, a moment magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, about 65 km west of New York City. Millions of people from Virginia to Maine and beyond felt the ground shaking, resulting in the largest number (>180,000) of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) “Did You Feel It?” reports of any earthquake. A team deployed by the Geotechnical Extreme Events R
Authors
Oliver S. Boyd, William D. Barnhart, James Bourke, Martin C. Chapman, Paul S. Earle, Guo-chin Dino Huang, Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, Won-Young Kim, Frederick Link, Mairi Maclean Litherland, Andrew Lloyd, Maureen Long, Sara McBride, Andrew J. Michael, Walter D. Mooney, Gregory Moutain, Sissy Nikolaou, Alexandros Savvaidas, Felix Waldhauser, Cecily J. Wolfe, Clara Yoon
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Geophysical advances triggered by 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake

A little more than 50 years ago, on 27 March 1964, the Great Alaska earthquake and tsunami struck. At moment magnitude 9.2, this earthquake is notable as the largest in U.S. written history and as the second-largest ever recorded by instruments worldwide. But what resonates today are its impacts on the understanding of plate tectonics, tsunami generation, and earthquake history as well as on the d

Authors
Peter J. Haeussler, William S. Leith, David J. Wald, John R. Filson, Cecily J. Wolfe, David Applegate
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center

Ambient seismic noise interferometry in Hawai'i reveals long-range observability of volcanic tremor

The use of seismic noise interferometry to retrieve Green's functions and the analysis of volcanic tremor are both useful in studying volcano dynamics. Whereas seismic noise interferometry allows long-range extraction of interpretable signals from a relatively weak noise wavefield, the characterization of volcanic tremor often requires a dense seismic array close to the source. We here show that s
Authors
Silke Ballmer, Cecily J. Wolfe, Paul G. Okubo, Matthew M. Haney, Clifford H. Thurber
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

High‐resolution locations of triggered earthquakes and tomographic imaging of Kilauea Volcano's south flank

The spatiotemporal patterns of seismicity beneath Kilauea's south flank give insight to the structure and geometry of the decollement on which large, tsunamigenic earthquakes have occurred, and its relation to slow slip events (SSEs), which have been observed every 1 to 2 years since 1997. In order to record earthquakes triggered by a SSE that was predicted to occur in March 2007, a temporary netw
Authors
Ellen M. Syracuse, Clifford H. Thurber, Cecily J. Wolfe, Paul G. Okubo, James H. Foster, Benjamin A. Brooks
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Earthquake Science Center

Kiholo Bay, Hawaii, earthquake sequence of 2006: Relationship of the main shock slip with locations and source parameters of aftershocks

We study the source process of the Kīholo Bay earthquake (MW 6.7), which occurred beneath the northwest part of the Island of Hawai‘i on 15 October 2006, and static stress drops of small earthquakes that occurred in 2006 and 2007 around the main shock including aftershocks. We relocate the aftershocks to determine the fault plane from the two nodal planes. The relocated aftershocks define an E‐W t
Authors
Takuji Yamada, Paul G. Okubo, Cecily J. Wolfe
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Earthquake Science Center

Magmatically triggered slow slip at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

We demonstrate that a recent dike intrusion probably triggered a slow fault-slip event (SSE) on Kilauea volcano's mobile south flank. Our analysis combined models of Advanced Land Observing Satellite interferometric dike-intrusion displacement maps with continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) displacement vectors to show that deformation nearly identical to four previous SSEs at Kilauea occurre
Authors
Benjamin A. Brooks, James Foster, David Sandwell, Cecily J. Wolfe, Paul G. Okubo, Michael P. Poland, David Myer
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center
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