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.
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:
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Development and application of geophysical approaches to offshore earthquake, landslide and tsunami hazard assessments
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Marine paleoseismology
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Understanding the interplay between tectonic, sedimentary, climatic processes along continental margins
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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
Filter Total Items: 41
Multichannel minisparker and chirp seismic-reflection data of field activity 2015-651-FA; Chatham Strait and Cross Sound, southeastern Alaska from 2015-08-03 to 2015-08-21 Multichannel minisparker and chirp seismic-reflection data of field activity 2015-651-FA; Chatham Strait and Cross Sound, southeastern Alaska from 2015-08-03 to 2015-08-21
High-resolution multichannel minisparker and chirp seismic-reflection data were collected in August of 2015 to explore marine geologic hazards of inland waterways of southeastern Alaska. Sub-bottom profiles were acquired in the inland waters between Glacier Bay and Juneau, including Cross Sound and Chatham Strait. High-resolution seismic-reflection profiles were acquired to assess...
Reprocessed boomer 3D seismic-reflection data collected in San Luis Obispo Bay, offshore of Pismo Beach, central California, from 2011-12-06 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC) Reprocessed boomer 3D seismic-reflection data collected in San Luis Obispo Bay, offshore of Pismo Beach, central California, from 2011-12-06 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC)
This dataset includes reprocessed boomer 3D seismic data collected by the Fugro Consultants Inc. in 2012, in San Luis Obispo Bay, offshore of Pismo Beach, central California.
Reprocessed boomer 3D seismic-reflection data collected in Estero Bay, offshore of Morro Bay, central California, from 2012-08-12 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC) Reprocessed boomer 3D seismic-reflection data collected in Estero Bay, offshore of Morro Bay, central California, from 2012-08-12 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC)
This dataset includes reprocessed boomer 3D seismic data collected by the Fugro Consultants Inc. in 2012, in Estero Bay, offshore of Morro Bay, central California.
Reprocessed 3D seismic-reflection data and neural-network fault cube, offshore of Point Sal, central California, from 2012-08-12 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC) Reprocessed 3D seismic-reflection data and neural-network fault cube, offshore of Point Sal, central California, from 2012-08-12 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC)
This data release includes boomer 3D seismic data collected in 2012 offshore Point Sal, central California as part of PG&Es Central California Seismic Imaging Project (Pacific Gas and Electric Company PG&E,2014). The U.S. Geological Survey conducted advanced post-processing and neural-network fault calculations on the data for improved fault detection (Kluesner and Brothers, 2016)...
Sediment core data from the northern flank of Monterey Canyon, offshore California Sediment core data from the northern flank of Monterey Canyon, offshore California
The five files included in this U.S. Geological Survey data release are data from a set of sediment cores acquired from the continental slope, north of Monterey Canyon, offshore central California. Vibracores and push cores were collected with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institutes remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts in 2014 (cruise ID 2014-615-FA). One spreadsheet
Filter Total Items: 54
Seismic attribute detection of faults and fluid pathways within an active strike-slip shear zone: New insights from high-resolution 3D P-Cable™ seismic data along the Hosgri Fault, offshore California Seismic attribute detection of faults and fluid pathways within an active strike-slip shear zone: New insights from high-resolution 3D P-Cable™ seismic data along the Hosgri Fault, offshore California
Poststack data conditioning and neural-network seismic attribute workflows are used to detect and visualize faulting and fluid migration pathways within a 13.7 km2 13.7 km2 3D P-Cable™ seismic volume located along the Hosgri Fault Zone offshore central California. The high-resolution 3D volume used in this study was collected in 2012 as part of Pacific Gas and Electric’s Central...
Authors
Jared W. Kluesner, Daniel S. Brothers
Continental Shelf Morphology and Stratigraphy Offshore San Onofre, CA: The Interplay Between Rates of Eustatic Change and Sediment Supply Continental Shelf Morphology and Stratigraphy Offshore San Onofre, CA: The Interplay Between Rates of Eustatic Change and Sediment Supply
New high-resolution CHIRP seismic data acquired offshore San Onofre, southern California reveal that shelf sediment distribution and thickness are primarily controlled by eustatic sea level rise and sediment supply. Throughout the majority of the study region, a prominent abrasion platform and associated shoreline cutoff are observed in the subsurface from ~ 72 to 53 m below present sea...
Authors
Shannon Klotsko, Neal W. Driscoll, Graham Kent, Daniel S. Brothers
A submarine landslide source for the devastating 1964 Chenega tsunami, southern Alaska A submarine landslide source for the devastating 1964 Chenega tsunami, southern Alaska
During the 1964 Great Alaska earthquake (Mw 9.2), several fjords, straits, and bays throughout southern Alaska experienced significant tsunami runup of localized, but unexplained origin. Dangerous Passage is a glacimarine fjord in western Prince William Sound, which experienced a tsunami that devastated the village of Chenega where 23 of 75 inhabitants were lost – the highest relative...
Authors
Daniel S. Brothers, Peter J. Haeussler, Lee Liberty, David Finlayson, Eric L. Geist, Keith A. Labay, Michael Byerly
Records of continental slope sediment flow morphodynamic responses to gradient and active faulting from integrated AUV and ROV data, offshore Palos Verdes, southern California Borderland Records of continental slope sediment flow morphodynamic responses to gradient and active faulting from integrated AUV and ROV data, offshore Palos Verdes, southern California Borderland
Variations in seabed gradient are widely acknowledged to influence deep-water deposition, but are often difficult to measure in sufficient detail from both modern and ancient examples. On the continental slope offshore Los Angeles, California, autonomous underwater vehicle, remotely operated vehicle, and shipboard methods were used to collect a dense grid of high-resolution multibeam...
Authors
Katherine L. Maier, Daniel S. Brothers, Charles K. Paull, Mary McGann, David W. Caress, James E. Conrad
Bathymetric terrain model of the Atlantic margin for marine geological investigations Bathymetric terrain model of the Atlantic margin for marine geological investigations
A bathymetric terrain model of the Atlantic margin covering almost 725,000 square kilometers of seafloor from the New England Seamounts in the north to the Blake Basin in the south is compiled from existing multibeam bathymetric data for marine geological investigations. Although other terrain models of the same area are extant, they are produced from either satellite-derived bathymetry...
Authors
Brian D. Andrews, Jason D. Chaytor, Uri S. ten Brink, Daniel S. Brothers, James V. Gardner, Elizabeth A. Lobecker, Brian R. Calder
The Palos Verdes Fault offshore southern California: late Pleistocene to present tectonic geomorphology, seascape evolution and slip rate estimate based on AUV and ROV surveys The Palos Verdes Fault offshore southern California: late Pleistocene to present tectonic geomorphology, seascape evolution and slip rate estimate based on AUV and ROV surveys
The Palos Verdes Fault (PVF) is one of few active faults in Southern California that crosses the shoreline and can be studied using both terrestrial and subaqueous methodologies. To characterize the near-seafloor fault morphology, tectonic influences on continental slope sedimentary processes and late Pleistocene to present slip rate, a grid of high-resolution multibeam bathymetric data...
Authors
Daniel S. Brothers, James E. Conrad, Katherine L. Maier, Charles K. Paull, Mary L. McGann, David W. Caress
Widespread methane leakage from the sea floor on the northern US Atlantic margin Widespread methane leakage from the sea floor on the northern US Atlantic margin
Methane emissions from the sea floor affect methane inputs into the atmosphere, ocean acidification and de-oxygenation, the distribution of chemosynthetic communities and energy resources. Global methane flux from seabed cold seeps has only been estimated for continental shelves, at 8 to 65 Tg CH4 yr−1, yet other parts of marine continental margins are also emitting methane. The US...
Authors
Adam Skarke, Carolyn Ruppel, Mali’o Kodis, Daniel S. Brothers, Elizabeth A. Lobecker
Chirp seismic-reflection data from the Baltimore, Washington, and Norfolk Canyons, U.S. mid-Atlantic margin Chirp seismic-reflection data from the Baltimore, Washington, and Norfolk Canyons, U.S. mid-Atlantic margin
A large number of high-resolution geophysical surveys between Cape Hatteras and Georges Bank have been conducted by federal, state, and academic institutions since the turn of the century. A major goal of these surveys is providing a continuous view of bathymetry and shallow stratigraphy at the shelf edge in order to assess levels of geological activity during the current sea level...
Authors
Jeffrey B. Obelcz, Daniel S. Brothers, Uri S. ten Brink, Jason D. Chaytor, Charles R. Worley, Eric M. Moore
Assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin Assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin
Tsunami hazard is a very low-probability, but potentially high-risk natural hazard, posing unique challenges to scientists and policy makers trying to mitigate its impacts. These challenges are illustrated in this assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin. Seismic activity along the U.S. Atlantic margin in general is low, and confirmed paleo-tsunami deposits have not yet...
Authors
Uri S. ten Brink, Jason Chaytor, Eric L. Geist, Daniel S. Brothers, Brian D. Andrews
Seabed fluid expulsion along the upper slope and outer shelf of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin Seabed fluid expulsion along the upper slope and outer shelf of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin
Identifying the spatial distribution of seabed fluid expulsion features is crucial for understanding the substrate plumbing system of any continental margin. A 1100 km stretch of the U.S. Atlantic margin contains more than 5000 pockmarks at water depths of 120 m (shelf edge) to 700 m (upper slope), mostly updip of the contemporary gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). Advanced attribute...
Authors
D.S. Brothers, C. Ruppel, J.W. Kluesner, Uri S. ten Brink, J.D. Chaytor, J. C. Hill, B.D. Andrews, C. Flores
Sea-level-induced seismicity and submarine landslide occurrence Sea-level-induced seismicity and submarine landslide occurrence
The temporal coincidence between rapid late Pleistocene sea-level rise and large-scale slope failures is widely documented. Nevertheless, the physical mechanisms that link these phenomena are poorly understood, particularly along nonglaciated margins. Here we investigate the causal relationships between rapid sea-level rise, flexural stress loading, and increased seismicity rates along...
Authors
Daniel S. Brothers, Karen M. Luttrell, Jason D. Chaytor
Geomorphic process fingerprints in submarine canyons Geomorphic process fingerprints in submarine canyons
Submarine canyons are common features of continental margins worldwide. They are conduits that funnel vast quantities of sediment from the continents to the deep sea. Though it is known that submarine canyons form primarily from erosion induced by submarine sediment flows, we currently lack quantitative, empirically based expressions that describe the morphology of submarine canyon...
Authors
Daniel S. Brothers, Uri S. ten Brink, Brian D. Andrews, Jason D. Chaytor, David C. Twichell
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Filter Total Items: 13
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 41
Multichannel minisparker and chirp seismic-reflection data of field activity 2015-651-FA; Chatham Strait and Cross Sound, southeastern Alaska from 2015-08-03 to 2015-08-21 Multichannel minisparker and chirp seismic-reflection data of field activity 2015-651-FA; Chatham Strait and Cross Sound, southeastern Alaska from 2015-08-03 to 2015-08-21
High-resolution multichannel minisparker and chirp seismic-reflection data were collected in August of 2015 to explore marine geologic hazards of inland waterways of southeastern Alaska. Sub-bottom profiles were acquired in the inland waters between Glacier Bay and Juneau, including Cross Sound and Chatham Strait. High-resolution seismic-reflection profiles were acquired to assess...
Reprocessed boomer 3D seismic-reflection data collected in San Luis Obispo Bay, offshore of Pismo Beach, central California, from 2011-12-06 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC) Reprocessed boomer 3D seismic-reflection data collected in San Luis Obispo Bay, offshore of Pismo Beach, central California, from 2011-12-06 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC)
This dataset includes reprocessed boomer 3D seismic data collected by the Fugro Consultants Inc. in 2012, in San Luis Obispo Bay, offshore of Pismo Beach, central California.
Reprocessed boomer 3D seismic-reflection data collected in Estero Bay, offshore of Morro Bay, central California, from 2012-08-12 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC) Reprocessed boomer 3D seismic-reflection data collected in Estero Bay, offshore of Morro Bay, central California, from 2012-08-12 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC)
This dataset includes reprocessed boomer 3D seismic data collected by the Fugro Consultants Inc. in 2012, in Estero Bay, offshore of Morro Bay, central California.
Reprocessed 3D seismic-reflection data and neural-network fault cube, offshore of Point Sal, central California, from 2012-08-12 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC) Reprocessed 3D seismic-reflection data and neural-network fault cube, offshore of Point Sal, central California, from 2012-08-12 to 2012-10-05 (USGS field activity P-04-11-CC)
This data release includes boomer 3D seismic data collected in 2012 offshore Point Sal, central California as part of PG&Es Central California Seismic Imaging Project (Pacific Gas and Electric Company PG&E,2014). The U.S. Geological Survey conducted advanced post-processing and neural-network fault calculations on the data for improved fault detection (Kluesner and Brothers, 2016)...
Sediment core data from the northern flank of Monterey Canyon, offshore California Sediment core data from the northern flank of Monterey Canyon, offshore California
The five files included in this U.S. Geological Survey data release are data from a set of sediment cores acquired from the continental slope, north of Monterey Canyon, offshore central California. Vibracores and push cores were collected with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institutes remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts in 2014 (cruise ID 2014-615-FA). One spreadsheet
Filter Total Items: 54
Seismic attribute detection of faults and fluid pathways within an active strike-slip shear zone: New insights from high-resolution 3D P-Cable™ seismic data along the Hosgri Fault, offshore California Seismic attribute detection of faults and fluid pathways within an active strike-slip shear zone: New insights from high-resolution 3D P-Cable™ seismic data along the Hosgri Fault, offshore California
Poststack data conditioning and neural-network seismic attribute workflows are used to detect and visualize faulting and fluid migration pathways within a 13.7 km2 13.7 km2 3D P-Cable™ seismic volume located along the Hosgri Fault Zone offshore central California. The high-resolution 3D volume used in this study was collected in 2012 as part of Pacific Gas and Electric’s Central...
Authors
Jared W. Kluesner, Daniel S. Brothers
Continental Shelf Morphology and Stratigraphy Offshore San Onofre, CA: The Interplay Between Rates of Eustatic Change and Sediment Supply Continental Shelf Morphology and Stratigraphy Offshore San Onofre, CA: The Interplay Between Rates of Eustatic Change and Sediment Supply
New high-resolution CHIRP seismic data acquired offshore San Onofre, southern California reveal that shelf sediment distribution and thickness are primarily controlled by eustatic sea level rise and sediment supply. Throughout the majority of the study region, a prominent abrasion platform and associated shoreline cutoff are observed in the subsurface from ~ 72 to 53 m below present sea...
Authors
Shannon Klotsko, Neal W. Driscoll, Graham Kent, Daniel S. Brothers
A submarine landslide source for the devastating 1964 Chenega tsunami, southern Alaska A submarine landslide source for the devastating 1964 Chenega tsunami, southern Alaska
During the 1964 Great Alaska earthquake (Mw 9.2), several fjords, straits, and bays throughout southern Alaska experienced significant tsunami runup of localized, but unexplained origin. Dangerous Passage is a glacimarine fjord in western Prince William Sound, which experienced a tsunami that devastated the village of Chenega where 23 of 75 inhabitants were lost – the highest relative...
Authors
Daniel S. Brothers, Peter J. Haeussler, Lee Liberty, David Finlayson, Eric L. Geist, Keith A. Labay, Michael Byerly
Records of continental slope sediment flow morphodynamic responses to gradient and active faulting from integrated AUV and ROV data, offshore Palos Verdes, southern California Borderland Records of continental slope sediment flow morphodynamic responses to gradient and active faulting from integrated AUV and ROV data, offshore Palos Verdes, southern California Borderland
Variations in seabed gradient are widely acknowledged to influence deep-water deposition, but are often difficult to measure in sufficient detail from both modern and ancient examples. On the continental slope offshore Los Angeles, California, autonomous underwater vehicle, remotely operated vehicle, and shipboard methods were used to collect a dense grid of high-resolution multibeam...
Authors
Katherine L. Maier, Daniel S. Brothers, Charles K. Paull, Mary McGann, David W. Caress, James E. Conrad
Bathymetric terrain model of the Atlantic margin for marine geological investigations Bathymetric terrain model of the Atlantic margin for marine geological investigations
A bathymetric terrain model of the Atlantic margin covering almost 725,000 square kilometers of seafloor from the New England Seamounts in the north to the Blake Basin in the south is compiled from existing multibeam bathymetric data for marine geological investigations. Although other terrain models of the same area are extant, they are produced from either satellite-derived bathymetry...
Authors
Brian D. Andrews, Jason D. Chaytor, Uri S. ten Brink, Daniel S. Brothers, James V. Gardner, Elizabeth A. Lobecker, Brian R. Calder
The Palos Verdes Fault offshore southern California: late Pleistocene to present tectonic geomorphology, seascape evolution and slip rate estimate based on AUV and ROV surveys The Palos Verdes Fault offshore southern California: late Pleistocene to present tectonic geomorphology, seascape evolution and slip rate estimate based on AUV and ROV surveys
The Palos Verdes Fault (PVF) is one of few active faults in Southern California that crosses the shoreline and can be studied using both terrestrial and subaqueous methodologies. To characterize the near-seafloor fault morphology, tectonic influences on continental slope sedimentary processes and late Pleistocene to present slip rate, a grid of high-resolution multibeam bathymetric data...
Authors
Daniel S. Brothers, James E. Conrad, Katherine L. Maier, Charles K. Paull, Mary L. McGann, David W. Caress
Widespread methane leakage from the sea floor on the northern US Atlantic margin Widespread methane leakage from the sea floor on the northern US Atlantic margin
Methane emissions from the sea floor affect methane inputs into the atmosphere, ocean acidification and de-oxygenation, the distribution of chemosynthetic communities and energy resources. Global methane flux from seabed cold seeps has only been estimated for continental shelves, at 8 to 65 Tg CH4 yr−1, yet other parts of marine continental margins are also emitting methane. The US...
Authors
Adam Skarke, Carolyn Ruppel, Mali’o Kodis, Daniel S. Brothers, Elizabeth A. Lobecker
Chirp seismic-reflection data from the Baltimore, Washington, and Norfolk Canyons, U.S. mid-Atlantic margin Chirp seismic-reflection data from the Baltimore, Washington, and Norfolk Canyons, U.S. mid-Atlantic margin
A large number of high-resolution geophysical surveys between Cape Hatteras and Georges Bank have been conducted by federal, state, and academic institutions since the turn of the century. A major goal of these surveys is providing a continuous view of bathymetry and shallow stratigraphy at the shelf edge in order to assess levels of geological activity during the current sea level...
Authors
Jeffrey B. Obelcz, Daniel S. Brothers, Uri S. ten Brink, Jason D. Chaytor, Charles R. Worley, Eric M. Moore
Assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin Assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin
Tsunami hazard is a very low-probability, but potentially high-risk natural hazard, posing unique challenges to scientists and policy makers trying to mitigate its impacts. These challenges are illustrated in this assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin. Seismic activity along the U.S. Atlantic margin in general is low, and confirmed paleo-tsunami deposits have not yet...
Authors
Uri S. ten Brink, Jason Chaytor, Eric L. Geist, Daniel S. Brothers, Brian D. Andrews
Seabed fluid expulsion along the upper slope and outer shelf of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin Seabed fluid expulsion along the upper slope and outer shelf of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin
Identifying the spatial distribution of seabed fluid expulsion features is crucial for understanding the substrate plumbing system of any continental margin. A 1100 km stretch of the U.S. Atlantic margin contains more than 5000 pockmarks at water depths of 120 m (shelf edge) to 700 m (upper slope), mostly updip of the contemporary gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). Advanced attribute...
Authors
D.S. Brothers, C. Ruppel, J.W. Kluesner, Uri S. ten Brink, J.D. Chaytor, J. C. Hill, B.D. Andrews, C. Flores
Sea-level-induced seismicity and submarine landslide occurrence Sea-level-induced seismicity and submarine landslide occurrence
The temporal coincidence between rapid late Pleistocene sea-level rise and large-scale slope failures is widely documented. Nevertheless, the physical mechanisms that link these phenomena are poorly understood, particularly along nonglaciated margins. Here we investigate the causal relationships between rapid sea-level rise, flexural stress loading, and increased seismicity rates along...
Authors
Daniel S. Brothers, Karen M. Luttrell, Jason D. Chaytor
Geomorphic process fingerprints in submarine canyons Geomorphic process fingerprints in submarine canyons
Submarine canyons are common features of continental margins worldwide. They are conduits that funnel vast quantities of sediment from the continents to the deep sea. Though it is known that submarine canyons form primarily from erosion induced by submarine sediment flows, we currently lack quantitative, empirically based expressions that describe the morphology of submarine canyon...
Authors
Daniel S. Brothers, Uri S. ten Brink, Brian D. Andrews, Jason D. Chaytor, David C. Twichell
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Filter Total Items: 13