Lydia M Staisch, Ph.D.
Lydia is a Research Geologist with the GMEG Science Center, working on structural geology, tectonic geomorphology, geologic mapping, and seismic hazards in the Pacific Northwest. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014, where she focused on the deformation history of the northern Tibetan Plateau and coseismic landslide hazards in the Himalayas.
Afterwards, Lydia was a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow with Brian Sherrod at the Earthquake Science Center. Her general research interests are in continental deformation and landscape evolution. She tends to employ a multi-faceted approach in her research, including field work, structural-stratigraphic analysis, geochemical analysis, geodynamic modeling, remote sensing and geodesy.
Professional Experience
2017-present, Research Geologist, United States Geological Survey
2014-2017, Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, United States Geological Survey
2009-2014, Graduate Student Research Assistant, University of Michigan
2009, Field Assistant in Salta Province, Argentina, University of Arizona
2008, Field Geologist, GeoCorps America Intern, Klamath National Forest, CA
Education and Certifications
2014 Ph.D., Geological Sciences, University of Michigan
2008 B.A., Geology, Carleton College
Science and Products
Below are Lydia's related science projects
High-Resolution Aeromagnetic Survey Over Cascade Locks, Oregon, and Surrounding Areas High-Resolution Aeromagnetic Survey Over Cascade Locks, Oregon, and Surrounding Areas
This data release provides access to a low-altitude aeromagnetic survey flown over a part of the Cascade Range of the US Pacific Northwest, approximately centered over the town of Cascade Locks, Oregon. The Cascade Locks magnetic survey encompasses two large stratovolcanoes of the Cascade Range: Mt. Hood (3426 m) in Oregon and Mt. Adams (3742 m) in Washington. Data were acquired between...
Monte Carlo code for manuscript: Sensitivity testing of marine turbidite age estimates along the Cascadia Subduction Zone Monte Carlo code for manuscript: Sensitivity testing of marine turbidite age estimates along the Cascadia Subduction Zone
This data release includes the MATLAB code used for sensitivity analysis of turbidite age estimates along the Cascadia subduction zone. The code is written for use in MATLAB and datasets are organized as .mat files. Data values are from Goldfinger et al. (2012) and Staisch (2024). Cited works: Goldfinger, C., Nelson, C.H., Morey, A.E., Johnson, J.E., Patton, J.R., Karabanov, E...
U-Pb zircon data for Cenozoic clastic and volcaniclastic units deformed along the Gales Creek Fault zone, northwestern Oregon U-Pb zircon data for Cenozoic clastic and volcaniclastic units deformed along the Gales Creek Fault zone, northwestern Oregon
This data release includes laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) U-Pb zircon geochronology data from four samples collected from fault-bounded bedrock units in northwestern Oregon. Samples were collected from a paleoseismic trench excavated across the Scoggins Valley strand of the Gales Creek Fault and nearby quarry. The trench is located on a ridge top...
Cascadia subduction zone database: compilation of published datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics (2022) Cascadia subduction zone database: compilation of published datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics (2022)
In this database, we compile and host several available onshore and offshore geologic, paleoseismic, geophysical, and instrumental datasets along the Cascadia subduction zone. The ScienceBase data release and downloadable map package is accompanied by an ArcGIS online map and StoryMap.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Earthquake Hazards Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
Primary and supplementary data for estimating the the timing of crustal shortening and the initiation of left-lateral shear within the central Kunlun Shan, northern Tibet Primary and supplementary data for estimating the the timing of crustal shortening and the initiation of left-lateral shear within the central Kunlun Shan, northern Tibet
This repository includes thermochronologic and geochronologic datasets generated for analysis and interpretation of the faulting history of the Kunlun Shan region of northern Tibet, as well as published timing of fault activity on other pertinent structures in the Tibetan Plateau.
Filter Total Items: 21
Turbidite correlation for paleoseismology Turbidite correlation for paleoseismology
Marine turbidite paleoseismology relies on the assumption of synchronous triggering of turbidity currents by earthquake shaking to infer rupture extent and recurrence. Such inference commonly depends on age dating and correlation of the physical stratigraphy of deposits carried by turbidity currents (i.e., turbidites) across great distances. Along the Cascadia subduction zone, which lies...
Authors
Nora M. Nieminski, Zoltan Sylvester, Jake Covault, Joan S. Gomberg, Lydia M. Staisch, Ian McBrearty
Sensitivity testing of marine turbidite age estimates along the Cascadia subduction zone Sensitivity testing of marine turbidite age estimates along the Cascadia subduction zone
9 earthquakes ruptured the full Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) in the past 10 kyr, a hypothesis that relies on concurrent turbidite deposition generated from seismogenic strong ground motion along the ∼1100 km margin. Correlation of marine turbidite deposits is based on petrophysical characteristics and radiocarbon geochronology, the latter of which relies on a series of age corrections...
Authors
Lydia M. Staisch
A modern multicentennial record of radiocarbon variability from an exactly dated bivalve chronology at the Tree Nob site (Alaska Coastal Current) A modern multicentennial record of radiocarbon variability from an exactly dated bivalve chronology at the Tree Nob site (Alaska Coastal Current)
Quantifying the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect, offsets (ΔR), and ΔR variability over time is critical to improving dating estimates of marine samples while also providing a proxy of water mass dynamics. In the northeastern Pacific, where no high-resolution time series of ΔR has yet been established, we sampled radiocarbon (14C) from exactly dated growth increments in a...
Authors
David C. Edge, Alan D. Wanamaker, Lydia M. Staisch, David J. Reynolds, Karine L. Holmes, Bryan A. Black
Major reorganization of the Snake River modulated by passage of the Yellowstone Hotspot Major reorganization of the Snake River modulated by passage of the Yellowstone Hotspot
The details and mechanisms for Neogene river reorganization in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains have been debated for over a century with key implications for how tectonic and volcanic systems modulate topographic development. To evaluate paleo-drainage networks, we produced an expansive data set and provenance analysis of detrital zircon U-Pb ages from Miocene to
Authors
Lydia M. Staisch, Jim E. O'Connor, Charles M. Cannon, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Paul K. Link, John Lasher, Jeremy A. Alexander
Arc versus river: The geology of the Columbia River Gorge Arc versus river: The geology of the Columbia River Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge is the Columbia River’s long-held yet evolving passage through the volcanic arc of the Cascade Range. The globally unique setting of a continental-scale river bisecting an active volcanic arc at the leading edge of a major plate boundary creates a remarkable setting where dynamic volcanic and tectonic processes interact with diverse and energetic fluvial...
Authors
Jim E. O'Connor, Ray Wells, Scott E.K. Bennett, Charles M. Cannon, Lydia M. Staisch, James L Anderson, Anthony Francis Pivarunas, Gabriel Wells Gordon, Richard J. Blakely, Mark E. Stelten, Russell C. Evarts
Swipe left on the “big one”: Better dates for Cascadia quakes Swipe left on the “big one”: Better dates for Cascadia quakes
Improving our understanding of hazards posed by future large earthquakes on the Cascadia Subduction Zone requires advancements in the methods and sampling used to date and characterize past events.
Authors
Jessie K. Pearl, Lydia M. Staisch
Science and Products
Below are Lydia's related science projects
High-Resolution Aeromagnetic Survey Over Cascade Locks, Oregon, and Surrounding Areas High-Resolution Aeromagnetic Survey Over Cascade Locks, Oregon, and Surrounding Areas
This data release provides access to a low-altitude aeromagnetic survey flown over a part of the Cascade Range of the US Pacific Northwest, approximately centered over the town of Cascade Locks, Oregon. The Cascade Locks magnetic survey encompasses two large stratovolcanoes of the Cascade Range: Mt. Hood (3426 m) in Oregon and Mt. Adams (3742 m) in Washington. Data were acquired between...
Monte Carlo code for manuscript: Sensitivity testing of marine turbidite age estimates along the Cascadia Subduction Zone Monte Carlo code for manuscript: Sensitivity testing of marine turbidite age estimates along the Cascadia Subduction Zone
This data release includes the MATLAB code used for sensitivity analysis of turbidite age estimates along the Cascadia subduction zone. The code is written for use in MATLAB and datasets are organized as .mat files. Data values are from Goldfinger et al. (2012) and Staisch (2024). Cited works: Goldfinger, C., Nelson, C.H., Morey, A.E., Johnson, J.E., Patton, J.R., Karabanov, E...
U-Pb zircon data for Cenozoic clastic and volcaniclastic units deformed along the Gales Creek Fault zone, northwestern Oregon U-Pb zircon data for Cenozoic clastic and volcaniclastic units deformed along the Gales Creek Fault zone, northwestern Oregon
This data release includes laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) U-Pb zircon geochronology data from four samples collected from fault-bounded bedrock units in northwestern Oregon. Samples were collected from a paleoseismic trench excavated across the Scoggins Valley strand of the Gales Creek Fault and nearby quarry. The trench is located on a ridge top...
Cascadia subduction zone database: compilation of published datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics (2022) Cascadia subduction zone database: compilation of published datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics (2022)
In this database, we compile and host several available onshore and offshore geologic, paleoseismic, geophysical, and instrumental datasets along the Cascadia subduction zone. The ScienceBase data release and downloadable map package is accompanied by an ArcGIS online map and StoryMap.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Earthquake Hazards Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
Primary and supplementary data for estimating the the timing of crustal shortening and the initiation of left-lateral shear within the central Kunlun Shan, northern Tibet Primary and supplementary data for estimating the the timing of crustal shortening and the initiation of left-lateral shear within the central Kunlun Shan, northern Tibet
This repository includes thermochronologic and geochronologic datasets generated for analysis and interpretation of the faulting history of the Kunlun Shan region of northern Tibet, as well as published timing of fault activity on other pertinent structures in the Tibetan Plateau.
Filter Total Items: 21
Turbidite correlation for paleoseismology Turbidite correlation for paleoseismology
Marine turbidite paleoseismology relies on the assumption of synchronous triggering of turbidity currents by earthquake shaking to infer rupture extent and recurrence. Such inference commonly depends on age dating and correlation of the physical stratigraphy of deposits carried by turbidity currents (i.e., turbidites) across great distances. Along the Cascadia subduction zone, which lies...
Authors
Nora M. Nieminski, Zoltan Sylvester, Jake Covault, Joan S. Gomberg, Lydia M. Staisch, Ian McBrearty
Sensitivity testing of marine turbidite age estimates along the Cascadia subduction zone Sensitivity testing of marine turbidite age estimates along the Cascadia subduction zone
9 earthquakes ruptured the full Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) in the past 10 kyr, a hypothesis that relies on concurrent turbidite deposition generated from seismogenic strong ground motion along the ∼1100 km margin. Correlation of marine turbidite deposits is based on petrophysical characteristics and radiocarbon geochronology, the latter of which relies on a series of age corrections...
Authors
Lydia M. Staisch
A modern multicentennial record of radiocarbon variability from an exactly dated bivalve chronology at the Tree Nob site (Alaska Coastal Current) A modern multicentennial record of radiocarbon variability from an exactly dated bivalve chronology at the Tree Nob site (Alaska Coastal Current)
Quantifying the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect, offsets (ΔR), and ΔR variability over time is critical to improving dating estimates of marine samples while also providing a proxy of water mass dynamics. In the northeastern Pacific, where no high-resolution time series of ΔR has yet been established, we sampled radiocarbon (14C) from exactly dated growth increments in a...
Authors
David C. Edge, Alan D. Wanamaker, Lydia M. Staisch, David J. Reynolds, Karine L. Holmes, Bryan A. Black
Major reorganization of the Snake River modulated by passage of the Yellowstone Hotspot Major reorganization of the Snake River modulated by passage of the Yellowstone Hotspot
The details and mechanisms for Neogene river reorganization in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains have been debated for over a century with key implications for how tectonic and volcanic systems modulate topographic development. To evaluate paleo-drainage networks, we produced an expansive data set and provenance analysis of detrital zircon U-Pb ages from Miocene to
Authors
Lydia M. Staisch, Jim E. O'Connor, Charles M. Cannon, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Paul K. Link, John Lasher, Jeremy A. Alexander
Arc versus river: The geology of the Columbia River Gorge Arc versus river: The geology of the Columbia River Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge is the Columbia River’s long-held yet evolving passage through the volcanic arc of the Cascade Range. The globally unique setting of a continental-scale river bisecting an active volcanic arc at the leading edge of a major plate boundary creates a remarkable setting where dynamic volcanic and tectonic processes interact with diverse and energetic fluvial...
Authors
Jim E. O'Connor, Ray Wells, Scott E.K. Bennett, Charles M. Cannon, Lydia M. Staisch, James L Anderson, Anthony Francis Pivarunas, Gabriel Wells Gordon, Richard J. Blakely, Mark E. Stelten, Russell C. Evarts
Swipe left on the “big one”: Better dates for Cascadia quakes Swipe left on the “big one”: Better dates for Cascadia quakes
Improving our understanding of hazards posed by future large earthquakes on the Cascadia Subduction Zone requires advancements in the methods and sampling used to date and characterize past events.
Authors
Jessie K. Pearl, Lydia M. Staisch