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Jared Kluesner

I am a Research Geophysicist that works at the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, CA. I use various geophysical datasets and geologic samples to study geologic processes and hazards along rifted, subduction, strike-slip, and passive continental margins.

I received my Ph.D. at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2011 and carried out my post-doc at the University of California Santa Cruz. I joined the USGS in the Spring of 2015. I specialize in the use of 2D/3D seismic reflection data and other geophysical data types such as multibeam bathymetry/backscatter and chirp. One of my current research focuses is on the application of artificial neural-networks to 2D/3D seismic attribute calculations for enhanced detection and 3D visualization of geologic features, such as faults, fluid-pathways, and mass transport deposits.

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People stand on the stern of a ship guiding a piece of equipment that is attached to a crane.

Underwater Landslides off Southern California

An earthquake can trigger a landslide along the ocean floor, which can then set off a tsunami. Without modern, high-resolution imaging of the seafloor, many historical slides and threats from future slides remain undetected.
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Underwater Landslides off Southern California

An earthquake can trigger a landslide along the ocean floor, which can then set off a tsunami. Without modern, high-resolution imaging of the seafloor, many historical slides and threats from future slides remain undetected.
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View from a dock near a calm bay with boats docked and one motoring slowly through the bay with a large outcrop in background.

Offshore Faults along Central and Northern California

From Point Conception to Cape Mendocino, seafloor faults have been, in the past, mapped in varying ways and without enough detail to assess their earthquake potential. To provide this important information, USGS uses advanced technology to image offshore faults that could trigger devastating earthquakes near densely populated areas and a nuclear power plant.
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Offshore Faults along Central and Northern California

From Point Conception to Cape Mendocino, seafloor faults have been, in the past, mapped in varying ways and without enough detail to assess their earthquake potential. To provide this important information, USGS uses advanced technology to image offshore faults that could trigger devastating earthquakes near densely populated areas and a nuclear power plant.
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A building after an earthquake has crumbled the roof and brick walls, the interior is now visible.

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.
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Big Sur Landslides, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
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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.
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Reprocessed single channel sparker seismic reflection data offshore central California from USGS field activities S-6-08-SC and S-6-09-SC

The U.S. Geological Survey collected high-resolution single channel minisparker data between Point Sal and Piedras Blancas in 2008 and 2009 with support from the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) CRADA and the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology program. Reprocessing of this data in 2018 improved vertical resolution of the stratigraphy and structural deformation of the original data and was funded by an
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Digital maps of submarine landslides and mass wasting features offshore of southern California

This data release provides the locations and certain key metrics of landslide features offshore southern California, including landslide perimeters, scarps, evacuation zones, debris aprons, and slide-prone areas in geographic information system (GIS) shapefile format. The offshore region of southern California is a tectonically active area that includes more than 20 fault-bounded basins and ridges
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution multichannel sparker seismic-reflection and chirp sub-bottom data acquired along the Cascadia margin during USGS field activity 2019-024-FA

High-resolution multichannel sparker seismic (MCS) data and chirp sub-bottom data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in collaboration with the University of Washington (UW) in the summer of 2019 along the Cascadia submarine forearc offshore Oregon and Washington. Data were acquired to characterize quaternary deformation and sediment dynamics along the central and northern Cascadia margin
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Reprocessed multichannel seismic reflection data acquired offshore Southern California during USGS field activity L-4-90-SC

Multichannel seismic (MCS) data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 1990 in the California Continental Borderland (USGS field activity L490SC). In 2021, these data were reprocessed to improve accuracy and resolvability of geologic structures and fault systems of California's continental margin. MCS data were acquired to support the Southern California Earthquake Hazards project
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Multichannel sparker and chirp seismic reflection data collected during USGS field activity 2018-658-FA between Cape Blanco and Cape Mendocino in October of 2018

This data release contains processed high-resolution multichannel sparker seismic-reflection (MCS) data and chirp sub-bottom 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 de
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Multichannel sparker and chirp seismic reflection data collected offshore South East Alaska during USGS Field Activity 2017-621-FA

High-resolution multichannel seismic reflection data and chirp sub-bottom data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in July and August 2017 offshore southeast Alaska to expand data coverage along the Queen Charlotte Fault system. Data were acquired to study earthquake hazards, fault mechanics and submarine mass wasting processes along the Queen Charlotte fault system, a 1200 km long transf
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Geophysical and core sample data collected offshore central California, during field activity 2019-651-FA (ver 2.0, August 2023)

This dataset includes sub-bottom seismic and sediment core data collected during USGS field activity 2019-651-FA. Data were collected aboard the M/V Bold Horizon in October 2019 offshore central California in the vicinity of Morro Bay. Sub-bottom data include multichannel sparker and CHIRP seismic in SEG-Y format with associated navigation tracklines. Core data include photo and computed tomograph
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Reprocessed multichannel seismic reflection data acquired offshore Southern California during USGS field activity O-1-99-SC

Multichannel seismic (MCS) data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in June of 1999 in the coastal zone and continental shelf between Los Angeles and San Diego, offshore California (USGS field activity O-1-99-SC). In 2021 these data were reprocessed to improve accuracy and resolvability of geologic structures and fault systems of California's continental margin.
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Reprocessed legacy seismic-reflection data from USGS field activity B-1-72-SC collected offshore central and southern California

Seismic-reflection data were collected offshore central and southern California in 1972 aboard the USNS Bartlett (USGS Field Activity B-1-72-SC). In 2021 these legacy data were reprocessed to improve accuracy and geologic resolvability of Californias continental margin. The effort to rescue and reprocess these legacy seismic-reflection data profiles was supported by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization

Multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data collected in the eastern Gulf of Alaska during USGS Field Activity 2016-625-FA using a Reson 7160 multibeam echosounder

Marine geophysical mapping of the Queen Charlotte Fault in the eastern Gulf of Alaska was conducted in 2016 as part of a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to understand the morphology and subsurface geology of the entire Queen Charlotte system. The Queen Charlotte fault is the offshore portion of the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

High-resolution multi-channel and Chirp seismic-reflection data from USGS cruise 2018-641-FA collected in south-central California in support of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Cal DIG I offshore alternative energy project

This dataset is one of several collected as part of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)-funded California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG I) project. The purpose of the study is to assess shallow geohazards, benthic habitats, and thereby the potential for alternative energy infrastructure (namely floating wind turbines) offshore south-central California due to its pro
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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 str
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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-echosounder data collected by the University of Washington i
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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High-resolution geophysical and geochronological analysis of a relict shoreface deposit offshore central California: Implications for slip rate along the Hosgri fault

The Cross-Hosgri slope is a bathymetric lineament that crosses the main strand of the Hosgri fault offshore Point Estero, central California. Recently collected chirp seismic reflection profiles and sediment cores provide the basis for a reassessment of Cross-Hosgri slope origin and the lateral slip rate of the Hosgri fault based on offset of the lower slope break of the Cross-Hosgri slope. The Cr
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Jared W. Kluesner, Samuel Y. Johnson, Stuart P. Nishenko, Elisa Medri, Alex Simms, Gary Greene, Harrison J. Gray, Shannon A. Mahan, Jason Scott Padgett, Emma Taylor Krolczyk, Daniel S. Brothers, James E. Conrad
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Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Diving deeper into seep distribution along the Cascadia Convergent Margin, USA

Previous margin-wide studies of methane seep distribution along the Cascadia Subduction Zone indicate peaks in seep density within the landward limit of the of gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ; ≤500 m depth), suggesting a link between current ocean warming, acceleration of hydrate dissociated, and methane emissions. This inferred connection, however, may not account for regional geologic and/or st
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Jane A. Rudebusch, Nancy G. Prouty, James E. Conrad, Janet Watt, Jared W. Kluesner, Jenna C. Hill, Nathaniel C. Miller, Sally J. Watson, Jess I.T. Hillman
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Subaqueous clinoforms created by sandy wave-supported gravity flows: Lessons from the central California shelf

Subaqueous clinoforms are an important yet underappreciated shelf feature. Their origins are typically associated with subaerial deltas but recent work has identified similar features in settings without a significant fluvial source. These other studies have shown that such subaqueous clinoforms, also known as infralittoral prograding wedges (IPWs), are created largely by wave-induced processes. T
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Elisa Medri, Alexander R. Simms, Jared W. Kluesner, Samuel Y. Johnson, Stuart P. Nishenko, H. Gary Greene, James E. Conrad
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Systematic mapping of the ocean-continent transform plate boundary of the Queen Charlotte fault system, southeastern Alaska and western British Columbia—A preliminary bathymetric terrain model

In 2015, U.S. Geological Survey scientists in collaboration with scientists from other institutions began a study of the Queen Charlotte fault—the first systematic study of the fault in more than three decades. The primary goal of the study was to gain a better understanding of the earthquake, tsunami, and underwater-landslide hazards throughout southeastern Alaska, as well as gather data to devel
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Brian D. Andrews, Daniel S. Brothers, Peter Dartnell, J. Vaughn Barrie, Peter J. Haeussler, Kristen M. Green, H. Gary Greene, Nathaniel C. Miller, Jared W. Kluesner, Uri S. ten Brink
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization

Using active source seismology to image the Palos Verdes Fault damage zone as a function of distance, depth, and geology

Fault damage zones provide a window into the non-elastic processes of an earthquake. Geological and seismic tomography methods have been unable to measure damage zones at depth with sufficient spatial sampling to evaluate the relative influence of depth, distance, and lithological variations. Here, we identify and analyze the damage zone of the Palos Verdes Fault offshore southern California using
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Travis Alongi, Emily Brodsky, Jared W. Kluesner, Daniel S. Brothers
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Mega-depressions on the Cocos Ridge: Links between volcanism, faults, hydrothermal circulation, and dissolution

High-resolution bathymetry and 3D seismic data along the Cocos Ridge reveal a 245 km2 field of ∼1 to 4 km in diameter seafloor depressions. The seafloor depressions are part of a two-tiered honeycomb pattern. The lower-tier depressions have steep faults that truncate strata with chaotic internal reflections consistent with sediment collapse into the depression. These extend into a lens shaped inte
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Jared W. Kluesner, Eli Silver, Nathaniel Bangs, César Ranero, Stephanie Nale, James Gibson, Kirk McIntosh
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization

U.S. Atlantic margin gas hydrates

The minimum distribution of gas hydrates on the U.S. Atlantic margin is from offshore South Carolina northward to the longitude of Shallop Canyon on the southern New England margin. Few wells have logged or sampled the gas hydrate zone on this margin, meaning that the presence of gas hydrates is inferred primarily based on seismic data that reveal bottom simulating reflections, mostly at water dep
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Carolyn D. Ruppel, William Shedd, Nathaniel C. Miller, Jared W. Kluesner, Matthew Frye, Deborah Hutchinson
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

In‐situ mass balance estimates offshore Costa Rica

The Costa Rican convergent margin has been considered a type erosive margin, with erosional models suggesting average losses up to −153 km3/km/m.y. However, three‐dimensional (3D) seismic reflection and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program data collected offshore the Osa Peninsula images accretionary structures and vertical motions that conflict with the forearc basal erosion model. Here we integrate
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Joel Edwards, Jared W. Kluesner, Eli Silver, Rachel Lauer, Nathan Bangs, Brian Boston
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

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 plates offshore southeastern Alaska (USA) and western B
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Nancy G. Prouty, Daniel S. Brothers, Jared W. Kluesner, J. Vaughn Barrie, Brian D. Andrews, Rachel Lauer, Gary Greene, James E. Conrad, Thomas Lorenson, Michael D. Law, Diana Sahy, Kim Conway, Mary McGann, Peter Dartnell
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization

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 Clemente fault (SCF) may be accommodating up to hal
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Maureen A. L. Walton, Daniel S. Brothers, James E. Conrad, Katherine L. Maier, Emily C. Roland, Jared W. Kluesner, Peter Dartnell
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization

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 seismic reflection (MCS) data sets, multibeam bathyme
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Jared W. Kluesner, Daniel S. Brothers, Alexis L Wright, Samuel Y. Johnson
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization

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 sediment storage, downslope transport, and slope failures a
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Jenna C. Hill, Janet Watt, Daniel S. Brothers, Jared W. Kluesner
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Subduction Zone Science
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USGS-Led Study Reassesses Earthquake Hazard Potential for Central California’s Hosgri Fault

Assessing earthquake hazards demands a comprehensive understanding of active faults, including their location, length, connectivity, slip rate, and...

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Methane Seep Distribution in the Cascadia Subduction Zone

Beneath the seafloor lie vast stores of methane—a potent greenhouse gas—produced by the degradation of organic material, either by the earth’s heat or...

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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...

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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...

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