Danny Brothers
I currently lead a project called "U.S. West Coast and Alaska Marine Geohazards" and I spend about 6-10 weeks per year at sea collecting marine geophysical data.
Biography
I received my Ph.D. from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, then moved to Woods Hole, MA, for a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellowship. In 2013, I moved to Santa Cruz, CA, where I currently work as a Research Geophysicist at the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center. I grew up in Colorado and spent four years at CU Boulder for undergraduate studies in geophysics.
My research is focused on the following topics:
- Development and application of geophysical approaches to offshore earthquake, landslide and tsunami hazard assessments
- Marine paleoseismology
- Understanding the interplay between tectonic, sedimentary, climatic processes along continental margins
- Combining basic and applied research to study the geomorphic development of continental margins, including substrate fluid flow
News and Outreach
For more recent USGS News stories, click my News tab
February 1, 2016, Anchorage Daily News, "New technology lets scientists pinpoint underwater landslide that triggered deadly 1964 tsunami"
February 2, 2016, FOX NEWS, "USGS discovers source of Alaska tsunami that decimated village in 1964"
January, 2016, USGS Soundwaves, "Investigating the Offshore Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault System in Southeastern Alaska, and its Potential to Produce Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Submarine Landslides"
January, 2016, USGS Soundwaves, "Artificial-Gas-Seep Test Produces 3D Images of Bubble Plumes in the Ocean"
August 24, 2014 NY Times, "Methane is discovered seeping from seafloor off East Coast, scientists say"
October, 2011, USGS Soundwaves, "High-Resolution Multibeam Mapping of Mid-Atlantic Canyons to Assess Tsunami Hazards"
July 6, 2011 LA Times, “Scientists tie Colorado River flooding to San Andreas Quakes”
July 3, 2011 San Francisco Chronicle, “Big quake near Salton Sea may be long overdue”
June 29, 2011 Discovery News, “Smaller Salton Sea silences seismic shocks”
June 29, 2011 USA Today, “Salton Sea floods flipped San Andreas earthquake trigger”
January 9, 2010 Nature News, “Floods linked to San Andreas quakes”
July 28, 2009 LA Times feature “More earthquake faults discovered at the Salton Sea”
May 15, 2009 CBS 5, “Lake Tahoe may be due for huge quake, tsunami”
Science and Products
Hazards: EXPRESS
Marine geohazards including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis lie offshore of densely populated areas of California, Oregon, and Washington. One goal of EXPRESS is to improve assessments of these hazards.
Resources: EXPRESS
Along the U.S. west coast, the Pacific Ocean, ocean floor, and winds above contain potentially vast energy and mineral resources. Developing these resources safely and wisely requires detailed information for each area of interest. One goal of EXPRESS is to inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions.
EXPRESS: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems
EXPRESS is a multi-year, multi-institution cooperative research campaign in deep sea areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, including the continental shelf and slope. EXPRESS data and information are intended to guide wise use of living marine resources and habitats, inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions, and improve offshore hazard assessments.
Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards
Societal Issue: Uncertainty related to rupture extent, slip distribution, and recurrence of past subduction megathrust earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest (northern CA, OR, WA, and southern BC) leads to ambiguity in earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments and hinders our ability to prepare for future events.
U.S. West Coast and Alaska Marine Geohazards
Marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. Such underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis.
Devastating earthquakes in Japan (2011) and Chile (2010) that spawned pan-oceanic tsunamis sent a sobering reminder that U.S. coastlines are also vulnerable to natural disasters that originate in...
Seafloor Faults off Southern California
More than 22 million people live along Southern California’s coast, and many more migrate there every year. Faults and earthquake threats in this region have been heavily studied on land. USGS aims to boost our knowledge about faults on the seafloor, so they can be included in hazard assessments.
Ecosystems: EXPRESS
The continental shelf and slope offshore California, Oregon, and Washington are home to deep-sea corals, chemosynthetic communities, and other sensitive habitats that could be impacted by the development of energy and mineral resources. The EXPRESS (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems) campaign will map and characterize these special areas to help guide ocean...
Earthquake Hazards in Southeastern Alaska
Over the last 100 years, the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system has produced large-magnitude earthquakes affecting both Canada and the U.S. To fill in missing details about its offshore location and structure, USGS uses sophisticated techniques to truly understand the fault’s hazard potential.
2019 Lake Ozette
Collected bathymetric data, seismic data, and sediment cores from Lake Ozette in 2019, a USGS-US National Park Service partnership
Chirp sub-bottom data collected in 2019 in Whiskeytown Lake, California during USGS field activity 2018-686-FA
High-resolution chirp sub-bottom data were collected by the USGS in May of 2019 in Whiskeytown Lake, California using an Edgetech SB-512i sub-bottom profiler. These data were collected to measure possible debris flows into the lake during the 2018-2019 rainy season following the July-August 2018 Carr fire that burned vegetation around the entire lake. Post-fire hillslope sediment yields are...
Reprocessed multichannel seismic-reflection (MCS) data from USGS field activity T-1-96-SC collected in San Diego Bay, California in 1996
This data release presents reprocessed multichannel seismic-reflection (MCS) data that was originally collected in 1996 in partnership with the California Division of Mines and Geology and Caltrans as part of a seismic hazard assessment of the Coronado Bridge in San Diego Bay, California. The original survey collected 130 km of data with a 14-cubic inch sleeve-gun (airgun) source, a 24-channel...
Multichannel minisparker, multichannel boomer, and chirp seismic-reflection data of USGS field activity 2017-612-FA collected in Puget Sound and Lake Washington in February of 2017
High-resolution multichannel minisparker, multichannel boomer and chirp seismic-reflection data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington in February of 2017 west of Seattle in Puget Sound and in Lake Washington, Washington. Data were collected aboard University of Washington's R/V Clifford A. Barnes during USGS field activity 2017-612-FA.
Multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection and chirp sub-bottom data of USGS field activity 2018-645-FA collected in the Santa Barbara Channel in July of 2018
High-resolution multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection and chirp sub-bottom data were collected by the USGS in July of 2018 between Point Conception and Coal Oil Point in the Santa Barbara Channel, California. Data were collected aboard USGS R/V Parke Snavely during field activity 2018-645-FA. Data were acquired to support the USGS geologic hazards projects to aid hazard assessment...
Multibeam bathymetry, acoustic backscatter, and multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection data of USGS field activity 2016-666-FA collected in the Santa Barbara Basin in September and October of 2016
High-resolution multichannel minkisparker seismic-reflection profiles were collected by the USGS in September and October of 2016 from the northern portion of the Santa Barbara Basin offshore southern California. Data were collected aboard USGS R/V Parke Snavely and NOAA R/V Shearwater during field activity 2016-666-FA. Data were acquired to support USGS geologic hazards...
Quaternary faults offshore of California
A comprehensive map of Quaternary faults has been generated for offshore of California. The Quaternary fault map includes mapped geometries and attribute information for offshore fault systems located in California State and Federal waters. The polyline shapefile has been compiled from previously published mapping where relatively dense, high-resolution marine geophysical data exist. The data...
Multichannel minisparker and chirp seismic reflection data of USGS field activity 2016-616-FA collected in the Catalina Basin offshore southern California in February 2016
This data release contains 25 multichannel minisparker seismic reflection (MCS) profiles and 41 chirp sub-bottom profiles collected in February of 2016 from the Catalina Basin offshore southern California by PCMSC in cooperation with the University of Washington. We collected data on R/V Thompson on USGS cruise 2016-616-FA. We collected MCS profiles to image the fault and channel...
Multichannel sparker seismic reflection data of USGS field activity 2018-658-FA collected between Cape Blanco and Cape Mendocino from 2018-10-04 to 2018-10-18
This data release contains processed high-resolution multichannel sparker seismic-reflection (MCS) data that were collected aboard Humboldt State University’s R/V Coral Sea in October of 2018 on U.S. Geological Survey cruise 2018-658-FA on the shelf and slope between Cape Blanco, Oregon, and Cape Mendocino, California. MCS data were collected to characterize quaternary deforma
Bathymetry, acoustic backscatter, and minisparker seismic-reflection datasets collected southwest of Montague Island and southwest of Chenega, Alaska during field activity 2014-622-FA
High-resolution acoustic backscatter data, bathymetry data, single channel minisparker seismic-reflection data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in May of 2014 southwest of Chenega Island and southwest of Montague Island, Alaska. Data were collected aboard the Alaska Department of Fish and Game vessel, R/V Solstice.
Multichannel sparker seismic-reflection data of field activity 2016-656-FA; between Icy Point and Dixon Entrance, Gulf of Alaska from 2016-08-07 to 2016-08-26
This data release contains high-resolution multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection data collected in August of 2016 along the southeast Alaska continental margin. Structure perpendicular MCS profiles were collected along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault. The data were collected aboard the R/V Norseman using a Delta sparker sound source and recorded on a 64-channel digital streamer...
Multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection data of field activity 2015-617-FA; Monterey Bay, offshore central California from 2015-02-23 to 2015-03-06
This data release contains approximately 190 line-kilometers of processed, high-resolution multichannel seismic-reflection (MCS) profiles that were collected aboard the R/V Snavely in 2015 on U.S. Geological Survey cruise 2015-617-FA in Monterey Bay, offshore central California. The majority of MCS profiles collected are oriented north-south across the Monterey Canyon head to address ma
Multibeam and multichannel sparker seismic-reflection data between Cross Sound and Dixon Entrance, offshore southeastern Alaska, collected from 2016-05-17 to 2016-06-12 during field activity 2016-625-FA
Multibeam bathymetry and multichannel sparker seismic relfection data collected along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault between Icy Point and Dixon Entrance, offshore southeastern Alaska from 2016-05-17 to 2016-06-12.
Colored shaded-relief bathymetry, acoustic backscatter, and selected perspective views of the northern part of the California Continental Borderland, southern California
The California Continental Borderland is the complex continental margin in southern California that extends from Point Conception southward into northern Baja California (Fisher and others, 2009). This colored shaded-relief bathymetry map of the northern continental borderland in southern California was generated primarily from multibeam-...
Dartnell, Peter; Roland, Emily C.; Raineault, Nicole A.; Castillo, Christopher M.; Conrad, James E.; Kane, Renato; Brothers, Daniel S.; Kluesner, Jared; Walton, Maureen A. L.
Recency of faulting and subsurface architecture of the San Diego Bay pull-apart basin, California, USA
In southern California, plate boundary motion between the North American and Pacific plates is distributed across several sub-parallel fault systems. The offshore faults of the California Continental Borderland (CCB) are thought to accommodate ~10-15% of the total plate boundary motion, but the exact distribution of slip and the mechanics of slip...
Singleton, Drake Moore; Maloney, Jillian M.; Brothers, Daniel; Klotsko, Shannon; Driscoll, Neal W.; Rockwell, Thomas K. Systematic characterization of morphotectonic variability along the Cascadia convergent margin: Implications for shallow megathrust behavior and tsunami hazards
Studies of recent destructive megathrust earthquakes and tsunamis along subduction margins in Japan, Sumatra, and Chile have linked forearc morphology and structure to megathrust behavior. This connection is based on the idea that spatial variations in the frictional behavior of the megathrust influence the tectono-morphological evolution of...
Watt, Janet; Brothers, Daniel Focused fluid flow and methane venting along the Queen Charlotte fault, offshore Alaska (USA) and British Columbia (Canada)
Fluid seepage along obliquely deforming plate boundaries can be an important indicator of crustal permeability and influence on fault-zone mechanics and hydrocarbon migration. The ~850-km-long Queen Charlotte fault (QCF) is the dominant structure along the right-lateral transform boundary that separates the Pacific and North American tectonic...
Prouty, Nancy G.; Brothers, Daniel; Kluesner, Jared; Barrie, J. Vaughn; Andrews, Brian D.; Lauer, Rachel; Greene, Gary; Conrad, James E.; Lorenson, Thomas; Law, Michael D.; Sahy, Diana; Conway, Kim; McGann, Mary; Dartnell, Peter Morphology, structure, and kinematics of the San Clemente and Catalina faults based on high-resolution marine geophysical data, southern California Inner Continental Borderland
Catalina Basin, located within the southern California Inner Continental Borderland (ICB), is traversed by two active submerged fault systems that are part of the broader North America-Pacific plate boundary: the San Clemente fault (along with a prominent splay, the Kimki fault) and the Catalina fault. Previous studies have suggested that the San...
Walton, Maureen A. L.; Brothers, Daniel; Conrad, James E.; Maier, Katherine L.; Roland, Emily C.; Kluesner, Jared; Dartnell, Peter Structural controls on slope failure within the western Santa Barbara Channel based on 2D and 3D seismic imaging
The Santa Barbara Channel, offshore California, contains several submarine landslides and ample evidence for incipient failure. This region hosts active thrust and reverse faults that accommodate several mm/yr of convergence, yet the relationships between tectonic deformation and slope failure remain unclear. We present 3‐D and 2‐D multichannel...
Kluesner, Jared; Brothers, Daniel; Wright, Alexis L; Johnson, Samuel Y. Submarine canyons, slope failures and mass transport processes in southern Cascadia
The marine turbidite record along the southern Cascadia Subduction Zone has been used to interpret paleoseismicity and suggest a shorter recurrence interval for large (>M7) earthquakes along this portion of the margin; however, the sources and pathways of these turbidity flows are poorly constrained. We examine the spatial distribution of...
Hill, Jenna C.; Watt, Janet; Brothers, Daniel; Kluesner, Jared Plate boundary localization, slip-rates and rupture segmentation of the Queen Charlotte Fault based on submarine tectonic geomorphology
Linking fault behavior over many earthquake cycles to individual earthquake behavior is a primary goal in tectonic geomorphology, particularly across an entire plate boundary. Here, we examine the 1150-km-long, right-lateral Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system using comprehensive multibeam bathymetry data acquired along the Queen Charlotte...
Brothers, Daniel; Miller, Nathaniel C.; Vaughn Barrie; Haeussler, Peter; H. Gary Greene; Andrews, Brian D.; Olaf Zielke; Dartnell, Peter Right-lateral fault motion along the slope-basin transition, Gulf of Santa Catalina, southern California
An active fault system carrying a significant component of right-lateral strike-slip motion extends for ~60 km along the slope–basin transition, ~10 to 20 km offshore of the southern California coast from La Jolla to Dana Point. From south to north, this fault system includes the Carlsbad, San Onofre, and San Mateo fault zones. High-resolution...
Cochran, Susan; Conrad, James; Brothers, Daniel; Coble, Katherine; Holly F. Ryan; Dartnell, Peter; Sliter, Ray Tsunamigenic splay faults imply a long-term asperity in southern Prince William Sound, Alaska
Coseismic slip partitioning and uplift over multiple earthquake cycles is critical to understanding upper‐plate fault development. Bathymetric and seismic reflection data from the 1964 Mw9.2 Great Alaska earthquake rupture area reveal sea floor scarps along the tsunamigenic Patton Bay/Cape Cleare/Middleton Island fault system. The faults splay...
Liberty, Lee; Brothers, Daniel; Haeussler, Peter The Santa Cruz Basin submarine landslide complex, southern California: Repeated failure of uplifted basin sediment
The Santa Cruz Basin (SCB) is one of several fault-bounded basins within the California Continental Borderland that has drawn interest over the years for its role in the tectonic evolution of the region, but also because it contains a record of a variety of modes of sedimentary mass transport (i.e., open slope vs. canyon-confined systems). Here,...
Brothers, Daniel S.; Maier, Katherine L.; Kluesner, Jared W.; Conrad, James E.; Chaytor, Jason Slope failure and mass transport processes along the Queen Charlotte Fault Zone, western British Columbia
Multibeam echosounder (MBES) images, 3.5 kHz seismic-reflection profiles and piston cores obtained along the southern Queen Charlotte Fault Zone are used to map and date mass-wasting events at this transform margin – a seismically active boundary that separates the Pacific Plate from the North American Plate. Whereas the upper continental slope...
Greene, H. G.; Barrie, J. Vaughn; Brothers, Daniel; Conrad, James E.; Conway, Kim; East, Amy E.; Enkin, Randolph J.; Maier, Katherine L.; Walton, Maureen A. L.; Rohr, K .M. M.Pre-USGS Publications
Laboratory collaboration to study earthquake hazards off southeast Alaska and western Canada
Studying the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault
Giant grooves discovered on an earthquake fault offshore Costa Rica
Imagine dragging your outstretched fingers through wet beach sand, leaving long grooves behind. Scientists recently discovered enormous grooves buried under the seafloor near Costa Rica. The detailed three-dimensional data they used to uncover these corrugations can help them better understand large subduction zone earthquakes and related tsunamis worldwide.
Expedition along a Hazardous, Fast-Moving Fault off Southeast Alaska—the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault
USGS scientists hope to learn more about the earthquake hazards that this large, fast-moving fault poses to communities and tourists in Alaska and Canada.
U.S. and Canadian Scientists Explore Major Undersea Earthquake Fault
An international team of scientists just finished probing the depths of the Pacific Ocean offshore of Alaska and British Columbia, to better understand the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault. During the past century, the 700-mile-long fault has generated at least half a dozen major earthquakes, and future shocks threaten coastal communities in both the United States and Canada.
Research Geologist Jenna Hill Joins the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center welcomes research geologist Jenna Hill.
Striking New Seafloor Imagery of the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault in the Gulf of Alaska
In 2016 the USGS led two geophysical surveys of the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault off the coast of southeast Alaska, using multibeam sonar to map the ocean floor in detail, and multichannel seismic reflection to image deeper layers of sediment.
50-Year-Old Mystery Solved: Seafloor Mapping Reveals Cause of 1964 Tsunami that Destroyed Alaskan Village
Minutes after the 1964 magnitude-9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake began shaking, a series of tsunami waves swept through the village of Chenega in Prince William Sound, destroying all but two of the buildings and killing 23 of the 75 inhabitants.