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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, 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, 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, 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
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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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Filter Total Items: 21

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

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, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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, 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, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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. Sub-bottom acoustic pe
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection and chip sub bottom data 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 U.S. Geological Survey in July of 2018 between Point Conception and Coal Oil Point in the Santa Barbara Channel, California. Data were collected aboard the USGS R/V Parke Snavely during field activity 2018-645-FA. Data were acquired to support the USGS geologic hazards projects to aide hazar
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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 (MCS) profiles were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in September and October of 2016 from the northern portion of the Santa Barbara Basin offshore southern California. Data were collected aboard the USGS R/V Parke Snavely and NOAA R/V Shearwater during field activity 2016-666-FA. Data were acquired to support USGS geologic hazar
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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 that were collected in February of 2016 from the Catalina Basin offshore southern California by the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific and Coastal Marine Science Center in cooperation with the University of Washington. Data were collected aboard the University of Washington's R/V T
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Minisparker and chirp seismic-reflection data of field activity 2014-645-FA collected in the outer Santa Barbara Channel, California, between 2014-11-12 to 2014-11-25 (ver. 2.0, March 2020)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected high-resolution multichannel sparker, minisparker and chirp seismic-reflection data in November 2014, from offshore Catalina and Santa Cruz basins. The survey was designed to image faults and folds associated with movement on the faults in offshore southern California, including the Catalina, Catalina Ridge, San Clemente, and San Diego Trough faults. Dat
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Natural Hazards, 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, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Filter Total Items: 24

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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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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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

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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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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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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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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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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

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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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Subduction megathrust heterogeneity characterized from 3D seismic data

Megathrust roughness and structural complexity are thought to be controls on earthquake slip at subduction zones because they result in heterogeneity in shear strength and resolved stress. However, because active megathrust faults are difficult to observe, the causes and scales of complexity are largely unknown. Here we measured the in situ properties of the megathrust of the Middle America subduc
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

The tectonically controlled San Gabriel Channel–Lobe Transition Zone, Catalina Basin, Southern California Borderland

High-resolution geophysical data across the Catalina Basin, offshore southern California, USA, reveal a complex channel–lobe transition zone (CLTZ) and provide an opportunity to characterize an entire seafloor CLTZ in a tectonically active and confined-basin setting. The seafloor morphology, distribution of depositional and erosional features, and location of depocenters in the CLTZ are controlled
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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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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