Maureen L Walton, PhD (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Cascadia Subduction Zone Database
-a compilation of published datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics The following is new (2022) compilation of datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics useful for emergency management officials, geologists, and others interested in understanding the unique geologic dynamics that create hazards to communities in the region...
Coastal and Marine Geohazards of the U.S. West Coast and Alaska
Coastal and marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. These underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis. The tectonically active west coast of the Americas is prone to such hazards, as it lies along the boundaries of major tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust—the North American, Caribbean...
By
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
Filter Total Items: 13
Compiled onshore and offshore paleoseismic data along the Cascadia Subduction zone
The USGS Powell Center Cascadia earthquake hazards working group compiled published onshore and offshore paleoseismic data along the Cascadia subduction zone, spanning sites from Vancouver Island to the Mendocino triple junction. Evidence for megathrust rupture includes coastal land-level change, tsunami inundation, onshore shaking proxies such as landslides or liquefaction, and offshore...
Radiocarbon age dating of biological material from cores collected off central California in 1999, 2006, and 2019
Results of radiocarbon age dating of planktic and benthic foraminifera collected from cores obtained in 1999, 2006, and 2019 offshore central California in the vicinity of Morro Bay.
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...
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...
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
Multibeam echosounder, video observation, and derived benthic habitat data offshore of south-central California in support of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Cal DIG I, offshore alternative energy project
Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) geoform, substrate, and biotic component (also known as "biotope") GIS products were developed for the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone of south-central California motivated by interest in development of offshore wind energy capacity and infrastructure. The lead agency responsible for planning and leasing in the Exclusive Economic...
Piston and gravity core data collected during USGS cruise 2019-642-FA offshore of south-central California in support of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG I) alternative energy pro
This data release includes photographs, multi-sensor core logger (MSCL), porewater analyses, and location and depth data from piston and gravity cores collected off the south-central California coast. 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...
Donated ROV vibracore and sampling data collected during Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute cruises in 2019 offshore of south-central California
This dataset includes photographs of vibracores that were collected by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in February 2019 and November 2019 aboard the R/V Western Flyer using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts. The collection of these cores was funded entirely by MBARI, and the cores have been donated to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The cores were...
Donated AUV bathymetry and Chirp seismic-reflection data collected during Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute cruises in 2018-2019 offshore of south-central California
This data release consists of donated AUV bathymetry and Chirp seismic-reflection data collected using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in 2018 and 2019. The collection of these data was funded entirely by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), and the data have been donated to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The data were collected in collaboration with the USGS...
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...
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...
Quaternary faults offshore of California
A comprehensive map of Quaternary faults has been generated for offshore of California. The Quaternary fault map includes mapped geometries and attribute information for offshore fault systems located in California State and Federal waters. The polyline shapefile and matching KML file have been compiled from previously published mapping where relatively dense, high-resolution marine...
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...
Filter Total Items: 17
Pockmarks offshore Big Sur, California provide evidence for recurrent, regional, and unconfined sediment gravity flows
Recent surface ship multibeam surveys of the Sur Pockmark Field, offshore Central California, reveal >5,000 pockmarks in an area that is slated to host a wind farm, between 500- and 1,500-m water depth. Extensive fieldwork was conducted to characterize the seafloor environment and its recent geologic history, including visual observations with remotely operated vehicles, sediment core...
Authors
E. Lundsten, Charles K. Paull, R. Gwiazda, S. Dobbs, D.W. Caress, Linda A. Kuhnz, M. Walton, N. Nieminski, Mary McGann, Thomas Lorenson, Guy R. Cochrane, Jason A. Addison
A comprehensive assessment of submarine landslides and mass wasting processes offshore southern California
It is critical to characterize submarine landslide hazards near dense coastal populations, especially in areas with active faults, which can trigger slope failure, subsequent tsunamis, and damage seabed infrastructure during earthquake shaking. Offshore southern California, numerous marine geophysical surveys have been conducted over the past decade, and high-resolution bathymetric and...
Authors
M. Walton, James E. Conrad, Antoinette Gabrielle Papesh, Daniel S. Brothers, Jared W. Kluesner, Mary McGann, Peter Dartnell
Revisiting the 1899 earthquake series using integrative geophysical analysis in Yakutat Bay, Alaska
A series of large earthquakes in 1899 affected southeastern Alaska near Yakutat and Disenchantment Bays. The largest of the series, a MW 8.2 event on 10 September 1899, generated an ~12-m-high tsunami and as much as 14.4 m of coseismic uplift in Yakutat Bay, the largest coseismic uplift ever measured. Several complex fault systems in the area are associated with the Yakutat terrane...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Sean P.S. Gulick, Peter J. Haeussler
California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG) I, volume 3 — Benthic habitat characterization offshore Morro Bay, California
Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) geoform, substrate, and biotic component geographic information system (GIS) products were developed for the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ) of south-central California in the region of Santa Lucia Bank motivated by interest in development of offshore wind-energy capacity and infrastructure. The Bureau of Ocean Energy...
Authors
Guy R. Cochrane, Linda A. Kuhnz, Lisa Gilbane, Peter Dartnell, Maureen A. L. Walton, Charles K. Paull
California deepwater investigations and groundtruthing (Cal DIG) I: Fault and shallow geohazard analysis offshore Morro Bay
The California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG) I project focuses on the potential seafloor hazards and impacts of alternative energy infrastructure in the outer continental shelf region offshore of south-central California. This is one of three reports covering a single study area located between Monterey and Point Conception, California in federal waters outside of...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Charlie K Paull, Guy R. Cochrane, Jason A. Addison, Roberto Gwiazda, Daniel J. Kennedy, Eve M. Lundsten, Antoinette Gabrielle Papesh
Toward an integrative geological and geophysical view of Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes
The Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) is an exceptional geologic environment for recording evidence of land level changes, tsunamis, and ground motion that reveals at least 19 great megathrust earthquakes over the past 10 kyr. Such earthquakes are among the most impactful natural hazards on Earth, transcend national boundaries, and can have global impact. Reducing the societal impacts of...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Lydia M. Staisch, Tina Dura, Jessie K. Pearl, Brian Sherrod, Joan S. Gomberg, Simon E. Engelhart, Anne Trehu, Janet Watt, Jonathan P. Perkins, Robert C. Witter, Noel Bartlow, Chris Goldfinger, Harvey Kelsey, Ann Morey, Valerie J. Sahakian, Harold Tobin, Kelin Wang, Ray Wells, Erin Wirth
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
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...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Daniel S. Brothers, James E. Conrad, Katherine L. Maier, Emily C. Roland, Jared W. Kluesner, Peter Dartnell
Active steady-state creep on a nontectonic normal fault in southeast Utah: Implications for strain release in a rapidly deforming salt system
Characterizing short-term temporal variations of fault creep provides insight into the evolution, mechanics, and strength of fault systems. Using spirit leveling and an extensome- ter, we measured surface displacement of a fault southwest of the Needles District, Canyon- lands National Park, Utah, where extension is driven by differential unloading of a subsur- face salt layer due to...
Authors
Katherine Kravitz, Karl Mueller, Roger Bilham, Maureen A. L. Walton
Seismic velocity structure across the 2013 Craig, Alaska rupture from aftershock tomography: Implications for seismogenic conditions
The 2013 Craig, Alaska MW 7.5 earthquake ruptured along ∼150 km of the Queen Charlotte Fault (QCF), a right-lateral strike-slip plate boundary fault separating the Pacific and North American plates. Regional shear wave analyses suggest that the Craig earthquake rupturepropagated in the northward direction faster than the S-wave (supershear). Theoretical studies suggest that a bimaterial...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Emily C. Roland, Jacob I. Walter, Sean P. S. Gulick, Peter J. Dotray
Submarine deposition of a subaerial landslide in Taan Fiord, Alaska
A large subaerial landslide entered Taan Fiord, Alaska, on 17 October 2015 producing a tsunami with runup to 193 m. We use LiDAR data to show the slide volume to be 76 + 3/−4 million cubic meters and that 51,000,000 m3 entered Taan Fiord. In 2016, we mapped the fjord with multibeam bathymetry and high‐resolution seismic data. Landslide and postlandslide deposits extend 6 km downfjord...
Authors
Peter J. Haeussler, S. P. S Gulick, N. McCall, Maureen A. L. Walton, R. Reece, C. Larson, D. H. Shugar, M. Geertsema, J. G. Venditti, Keith A. Labay
The 2015 landslide and tsunami in Taan Fiord, Alaska
Glacial retreat in recent decades has exposed unstable slopes and allowed deep water to extend beneath some of those slopes. Slope failure at the terminus of Tyndall Glacier on 17 October 2015 sent 180 million tons of rock into Taan Fiord, Alaska. The resulting tsunami reached elevations as high as 193 m, one of the highest tsunami runups ever documented worldwide. Precursory deformation...
Authors
Brentwood Higman, Dan H. Shugar, Colin P. Stark, Goran Ekstrom, Michele N Koppes, Patrick Lynett, Anja Dufresne, Peter J. Haeussler, Marten Geertsema, Sean P.S. Gulick, Andrew Mattox, Jeremy G. Venditti, Maureen A. L. Walton, Naoma McCall, Erin Mckittrick, Breanyn MacInnes, Eric L. Bilderback, Hui Tang, Micheal Willis, Bruce Richmond, Bobby Reece, Christopher F. Larsen, Bjorn Olson, James Capra, Aykut Ayca, Colin K Bloom, Haley Williams, Doug Bonno, Robert Weiss, Adam Keen, Vassilios Skanavis, Micheal Loso
Slope failure and mass transport processes along the Queen Charlotte Fault Zone, western British Columbia
Multibeam echosounder (MBES) images, 3.5 kHz seismic-reflection profiles and piston cores obtained along the southern Queen Charlotte Fault Zone are used to map and date mass-wasting events at this transform margin – a seismically active boundary that separates the Pacific Plate from the North American Plate. Whereas the upper continental slope adjacent to and east (upslope) of the fault...
Authors
H. G. Greene, J. Vaughn Barrie, Daniel S. Brothers, James E. Conrad, Kim Conway, Amy E. East, Randolph J. Enkin, Katherine L. Maier, Maureen A. L. Walton, K .M. M. Rohr
Non-USGS Publications**
Zurbuchen, J. M., S. P. S. Gulick, M. A. L. Walton, and J. A. Goff (2015), Imaging evidence for Hubbard Glacier advances and retreats since the last glacial maximum in Yakutat and Disenchantment Bays, Alaska, Geochem. Geophys. Geosys., 16(6), 1962-1974.
Tréhu, A. M., M. Scheidhauer, K. M. M. Rohr, B. Tikoff, M. A. L. Walton, S. P. S. Gulick, and E. Roland (2015), An abrupt transition in the mechanical response of the upper crust to transpression across the Queen Charlotte Fault, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 105(2B), 1114-1128.
**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.
Cascadia subduction zone database: compilation of published datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics
As part of the USGS Powell Center working group on Cascadia earthquake hazards, we compile and host several available geologic, paleoseismic, geophysical, and instrumental datasets along the Cascadia subduction zone. The ArcGIS online map and downloadable map package include both raster images and shapefiles. In this Story Map, we outline the features and datasets compiled.
Science and Products
Cascadia Subduction Zone Database
-a compilation of published datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics The following is new (2022) compilation of datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics useful for emergency management officials, geologists, and others interested in understanding the unique geologic dynamics that create hazards to communities in the region...
Coastal and Marine Geohazards of the U.S. West Coast and Alaska
Coastal and marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. These underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis. The tectonically active west coast of the Americas is prone to such hazards, as it lies along the boundaries of major tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust—the North American, Caribbean...
By
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
Filter Total Items: 13
Compiled onshore and offshore paleoseismic data along the Cascadia Subduction zone
The USGS Powell Center Cascadia earthquake hazards working group compiled published onshore and offshore paleoseismic data along the Cascadia subduction zone, spanning sites from Vancouver Island to the Mendocino triple junction. Evidence for megathrust rupture includes coastal land-level change, tsunami inundation, onshore shaking proxies such as landslides or liquefaction, and offshore...
Radiocarbon age dating of biological material from cores collected off central California in 1999, 2006, and 2019
Results of radiocarbon age dating of planktic and benthic foraminifera collected from cores obtained in 1999, 2006, and 2019 offshore central California in the vicinity of Morro Bay.
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...
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...
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
Multibeam echosounder, video observation, and derived benthic habitat data offshore of south-central California in support of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Cal DIG I, offshore alternative energy project
Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) geoform, substrate, and biotic component (also known as "biotope") GIS products were developed for the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone of south-central California motivated by interest in development of offshore wind energy capacity and infrastructure. The lead agency responsible for planning and leasing in the Exclusive Economic...
Piston and gravity core data collected during USGS cruise 2019-642-FA offshore of south-central California in support of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG I) alternative energy pro
This data release includes photographs, multi-sensor core logger (MSCL), porewater analyses, and location and depth data from piston and gravity cores collected off the south-central California coast. 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...
Donated ROV vibracore and sampling data collected during Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute cruises in 2019 offshore of south-central California
This dataset includes photographs of vibracores that were collected by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in February 2019 and November 2019 aboard the R/V Western Flyer using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts. The collection of these cores was funded entirely by MBARI, and the cores have been donated to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The cores were...
Donated AUV bathymetry and Chirp seismic-reflection data collected during Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute cruises in 2018-2019 offshore of south-central California
This data release consists of donated AUV bathymetry and Chirp seismic-reflection data collected using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in 2018 and 2019. The collection of these data was funded entirely by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), and the data have been donated to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The data were collected in collaboration with the USGS...
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...
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...
Quaternary faults offshore of California
A comprehensive map of Quaternary faults has been generated for offshore of California. The Quaternary fault map includes mapped geometries and attribute information for offshore fault systems located in California State and Federal waters. The polyline shapefile and matching KML file have been compiled from previously published mapping where relatively dense, high-resolution marine...
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...
Filter Total Items: 17
Pockmarks offshore Big Sur, California provide evidence for recurrent, regional, and unconfined sediment gravity flows
Recent surface ship multibeam surveys of the Sur Pockmark Field, offshore Central California, reveal >5,000 pockmarks in an area that is slated to host a wind farm, between 500- and 1,500-m water depth. Extensive fieldwork was conducted to characterize the seafloor environment and its recent geologic history, including visual observations with remotely operated vehicles, sediment core...
Authors
E. Lundsten, Charles K. Paull, R. Gwiazda, S. Dobbs, D.W. Caress, Linda A. Kuhnz, M. Walton, N. Nieminski, Mary McGann, Thomas Lorenson, Guy R. Cochrane, Jason A. Addison
A comprehensive assessment of submarine landslides and mass wasting processes offshore southern California
It is critical to characterize submarine landslide hazards near dense coastal populations, especially in areas with active faults, which can trigger slope failure, subsequent tsunamis, and damage seabed infrastructure during earthquake shaking. Offshore southern California, numerous marine geophysical surveys have been conducted over the past decade, and high-resolution bathymetric and...
Authors
M. Walton, James E. Conrad, Antoinette Gabrielle Papesh, Daniel S. Brothers, Jared W. Kluesner, Mary McGann, Peter Dartnell
Revisiting the 1899 earthquake series using integrative geophysical analysis in Yakutat Bay, Alaska
A series of large earthquakes in 1899 affected southeastern Alaska near Yakutat and Disenchantment Bays. The largest of the series, a MW 8.2 event on 10 September 1899, generated an ~12-m-high tsunami and as much as 14.4 m of coseismic uplift in Yakutat Bay, the largest coseismic uplift ever measured. Several complex fault systems in the area are associated with the Yakutat terrane...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Sean P.S. Gulick, Peter J. Haeussler
California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG) I, volume 3 — Benthic habitat characterization offshore Morro Bay, California
Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) geoform, substrate, and biotic component geographic information system (GIS) products were developed for the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ) of south-central California in the region of Santa Lucia Bank motivated by interest in development of offshore wind-energy capacity and infrastructure. The Bureau of Ocean Energy...
Authors
Guy R. Cochrane, Linda A. Kuhnz, Lisa Gilbane, Peter Dartnell, Maureen A. L. Walton, Charles K. Paull
California deepwater investigations and groundtruthing (Cal DIG) I: Fault and shallow geohazard analysis offshore Morro Bay
The California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG) I project focuses on the potential seafloor hazards and impacts of alternative energy infrastructure in the outer continental shelf region offshore of south-central California. This is one of three reports covering a single study area located between Monterey and Point Conception, California in federal waters outside of...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Charlie K Paull, Guy R. Cochrane, Jason A. Addison, Roberto Gwiazda, Daniel J. Kennedy, Eve M. Lundsten, Antoinette Gabrielle Papesh
Toward an integrative geological and geophysical view of Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes
The Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) is an exceptional geologic environment for recording evidence of land level changes, tsunamis, and ground motion that reveals at least 19 great megathrust earthquakes over the past 10 kyr. Such earthquakes are among the most impactful natural hazards on Earth, transcend national boundaries, and can have global impact. Reducing the societal impacts of...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Lydia M. Staisch, Tina Dura, Jessie K. Pearl, Brian Sherrod, Joan S. Gomberg, Simon E. Engelhart, Anne Trehu, Janet Watt, Jonathan P. Perkins, Robert C. Witter, Noel Bartlow, Chris Goldfinger, Harvey Kelsey, Ann Morey, Valerie J. Sahakian, Harold Tobin, Kelin Wang, Ray Wells, Erin Wirth
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
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...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Daniel S. Brothers, James E. Conrad, Katherine L. Maier, Emily C. Roland, Jared W. Kluesner, Peter Dartnell
Active steady-state creep on a nontectonic normal fault in southeast Utah: Implications for strain release in a rapidly deforming salt system
Characterizing short-term temporal variations of fault creep provides insight into the evolution, mechanics, and strength of fault systems. Using spirit leveling and an extensome- ter, we measured surface displacement of a fault southwest of the Needles District, Canyon- lands National Park, Utah, where extension is driven by differential unloading of a subsur- face salt layer due to...
Authors
Katherine Kravitz, Karl Mueller, Roger Bilham, Maureen A. L. Walton
Seismic velocity structure across the 2013 Craig, Alaska rupture from aftershock tomography: Implications for seismogenic conditions
The 2013 Craig, Alaska MW 7.5 earthquake ruptured along ∼150 km of the Queen Charlotte Fault (QCF), a right-lateral strike-slip plate boundary fault separating the Pacific and North American plates. Regional shear wave analyses suggest that the Craig earthquake rupturepropagated in the northward direction faster than the S-wave (supershear). Theoretical studies suggest that a bimaterial...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Emily C. Roland, Jacob I. Walter, Sean P. S. Gulick, Peter J. Dotray
Submarine deposition of a subaerial landslide in Taan Fiord, Alaska
A large subaerial landslide entered Taan Fiord, Alaska, on 17 October 2015 producing a tsunami with runup to 193 m. We use LiDAR data to show the slide volume to be 76 + 3/−4 million cubic meters and that 51,000,000 m3 entered Taan Fiord. In 2016, we mapped the fjord with multibeam bathymetry and high‐resolution seismic data. Landslide and postlandslide deposits extend 6 km downfjord...
Authors
Peter J. Haeussler, S. P. S Gulick, N. McCall, Maureen A. L. Walton, R. Reece, C. Larson, D. H. Shugar, M. Geertsema, J. G. Venditti, Keith A. Labay
The 2015 landslide and tsunami in Taan Fiord, Alaska
Glacial retreat in recent decades has exposed unstable slopes and allowed deep water to extend beneath some of those slopes. Slope failure at the terminus of Tyndall Glacier on 17 October 2015 sent 180 million tons of rock into Taan Fiord, Alaska. The resulting tsunami reached elevations as high as 193 m, one of the highest tsunami runups ever documented worldwide. Precursory deformation...
Authors
Brentwood Higman, Dan H. Shugar, Colin P. Stark, Goran Ekstrom, Michele N Koppes, Patrick Lynett, Anja Dufresne, Peter J. Haeussler, Marten Geertsema, Sean P.S. Gulick, Andrew Mattox, Jeremy G. Venditti, Maureen A. L. Walton, Naoma McCall, Erin Mckittrick, Breanyn MacInnes, Eric L. Bilderback, Hui Tang, Micheal Willis, Bruce Richmond, Bobby Reece, Christopher F. Larsen, Bjorn Olson, James Capra, Aykut Ayca, Colin K Bloom, Haley Williams, Doug Bonno, Robert Weiss, Adam Keen, Vassilios Skanavis, Micheal Loso
Slope failure and mass transport processes along the Queen Charlotte Fault Zone, western British Columbia
Multibeam echosounder (MBES) images, 3.5 kHz seismic-reflection profiles and piston cores obtained along the southern Queen Charlotte Fault Zone are used to map and date mass-wasting events at this transform margin – a seismically active boundary that separates the Pacific Plate from the North American Plate. Whereas the upper continental slope adjacent to and east (upslope) of the fault...
Authors
H. G. Greene, J. Vaughn Barrie, Daniel S. Brothers, James E. Conrad, Kim Conway, Amy E. East, Randolph J. Enkin, Katherine L. Maier, Maureen A. L. Walton, K .M. M. Rohr
Non-USGS Publications**
Zurbuchen, J. M., S. P. S. Gulick, M. A. L. Walton, and J. A. Goff (2015), Imaging evidence for Hubbard Glacier advances and retreats since the last glacial maximum in Yakutat and Disenchantment Bays, Alaska, Geochem. Geophys. Geosys., 16(6), 1962-1974.
Tréhu, A. M., M. Scheidhauer, K. M. M. Rohr, B. Tikoff, M. A. L. Walton, S. P. S. Gulick, and E. Roland (2015), An abrupt transition in the mechanical response of the upper crust to transpression across the Queen Charlotte Fault, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 105(2B), 1114-1128.
**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.
Cascadia subduction zone database: compilation of published datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics
As part of the USGS Powell Center working group on Cascadia earthquake hazards, we compile and host several available geologic, paleoseismic, geophysical, and instrumental datasets along the Cascadia subduction zone. The ArcGIS online map and downloadable map package include both raster images and shapefiles. In this Story Map, we outline the features and datasets compiled.