Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Mark Germain Alvarez

Mark "Marcos" Alvarez manages the field operations for the Southern California Seismic Network at Caltech from the USGS field office in Pasadena CA.  His interests lie in seismic instrumentation, experimentation, data processing and project management.  

Selected Projects

  • Earthquake Early Warning: SCSN site design, permitting, installation and operation
  • Trimble combined GNSS-Accelerometer instrument (SG160-09): testing, modification and validation
  • Deep borehole (5Km) seismic string, DongHai China: Design, design, manufacuture and installation
  • Geothermal seismic monitoring and sensor design,  New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Kenya, Indonesia, USA
  • USArray, Flexible and Transportable Array:  NSF funded facility, early startup design and management
  • Lithoprobe, active seismic source experiements accross Canada
  • InDepth, active seismic experiments accross Tibetean Plateau
  • Parkfield Earthquake Prediction Experiement
  • Aftershock deployments,  Loma Prieta, Kobe, Landers, Hector Mines, Chile, Chi Chi, Ridgecrest

Professional Experience

  • USGS, Supervisory Geophysicist, Pasadena California, 2016–Present

  • Trimble Navigation, Engineer, 2013–2016

  • Institute of Earth Science and Engineering (IESE), Director of Commercial Operations, Auckland New Zealand, 2008–2013

  • Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS), Deputy Program Manager, 2003–2009

  • New Mexico Tech, Director of the IRIS-PASSCAL Instrument Center, 1998–2003

  • Stanford University, Director of Operations IRIS-PASSCAL, 1992–1998

  • Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara, Research Associate, 1986–1987

  • Martin Marieta Aerospace, Vandenburg AFB, Associate Engineer, 1985–1986

Education and Certifications

  • Duke University, Durham North Carolina, M.S. Geophysics - 1992

  • University of California, Santa Barbara,  B.S. Mech. Engineering, Geology 1985

Science and Products

Caltech/USGS Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) and Southern California Earthquake Data Center (SCEDC): Data availability for the 2019 Ridgecrest sequence

The 2019 M6.4 and M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence occurred in the eastern California shear zone (ECSZ). The mainshock ruptured the Little Lake fault zone and aftershocks extended from the Garlock fault in the south, to the southern end of the 1872 M7.5 Owens Valley earthquake rupture in the north. We present data from the Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) and partner seismic networks
Authors
Egill Hauksson, Clara Yoon, Ellen Yu, Jennifer Andrews, Mark Alvarez, Rayo Bhadha, Valerie Thomas
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Rapid Seismic Array Deployment for the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence

Rapid seismic deployments following large earthquakes capture ephemeral near‐field recordings of aftershocks and ambient noise that can provide valuable data for seismological studies. The U.S. Geological Survey installed 19 temporary seismic stations following the 4 July 2019 Mw 6.4 and 6 July 2019 (UTC) Mw 7.1 earthquakes near the city of Ridgecrest, California. The stations record the aftershoc
Authors
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Emily Wolin, Daniel E. McNamara, Alan Yong, David C. Wilson, Mark Alvarez, Nicholas van der Elst, Adria Ruth McClain, Jamison Haase Steidl
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Stubailo I., M. Alvarez, G.Biasi, R. Bhadha, Hauksson E., (2020). Latency of Waveform Data Delivery from the Southern California Seismic Network during the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence and Its Effect on ShakeAlert, Seismol. Res. Lett. XX, 1–17, doi: 10.1785/0220200211.
Boese C., M. Alvarez, L. Wotherspoon, P. Malin, Analysis of Anthropogenic and Natural Noise from Multilevel Borehole Seismometers in an Urban Environment, Auckland, New Zealand, Bul Seism Soc Am, 2015, 105(1):285-299.
Dickson M., M.Alvarez, R. Pentney, P. Malin, Spatial Patterns of Wave Energy Delivery to Coastal Cliffs, AGU presentation, Fall Meeting 2010 EP31D-05.
Alvarez M., If Seismograms Could Talk, How That Wiggle Came To Be, Seismological Society of America, 2009 Annual Meeting Monterey, Invited Talk 2009.

**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.

No results found.

Science and Products

  • Publications

    Caltech/USGS Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) and Southern California Earthquake Data Center (SCEDC): Data availability for the 2019 Ridgecrest sequence

    The 2019 M6.4 and M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence occurred in the eastern California shear zone (ECSZ). The mainshock ruptured the Little Lake fault zone and aftershocks extended from the Garlock fault in the south, to the southern end of the 1872 M7.5 Owens Valley earthquake rupture in the north. We present data from the Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) and partner seismic networks
    Authors
    Egill Hauksson, Clara Yoon, Ellen Yu, Jennifer Andrews, Mark Alvarez, Rayo Bhadha, Valerie Thomas
    By
    Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

    The U.S. Geological Survey’s Rapid Seismic Array Deployment for the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence

    Rapid seismic deployments following large earthquakes capture ephemeral near‐field recordings of aftershocks and ambient noise that can provide valuable data for seismological studies. The U.S. Geological Survey installed 19 temporary seismic stations following the 4 July 2019 Mw 6.4 and 6 July 2019 (UTC) Mw 7.1 earthquakes near the city of Ridgecrest, California. The stations record the aftershoc
    Authors
    Elizabeth S. Cochran, Emily Wolin, Daniel E. McNamara, Alan Yong, David C. Wilson, Mark Alvarez, Nicholas van der Elst, Adria Ruth McClain, Jamison Haase Steidl
    By
    Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

    Non-USGS Publications**

    Stubailo I., M. Alvarez, G.Biasi, R. Bhadha, Hauksson E., (2020). Latency of Waveform Data Delivery from the Southern California Seismic Network during the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence and Its Effect on ShakeAlert, Seismol. Res. Lett. XX, 1–17, doi: 10.1785/0220200211.
    Boese C., M. Alvarez, L. Wotherspoon, P. Malin, Analysis of Anthropogenic and Natural Noise from Multilevel Borehole Seismometers in an Urban Environment, Auckland, New Zealand, Bul Seism Soc Am, 2015, 105(1):285-299.
    Dickson M., M.Alvarez, R. Pentney, P. Malin, Spatial Patterns of Wave Energy Delivery to Coastal Cliffs, AGU presentation, Fall Meeting 2010 EP31D-05.
    Alvarez M., If Seismograms Could Talk, How That Wiggle Came To Be, Seismological Society of America, 2009 Annual Meeting Monterey, Invited Talk 2009.

    **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.

  • Multimedia
    No results found.