Oliver S Boyd, Ph.D.

Research geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey studying various aspects of seismic hazard with a concentration on the central and eastern United States

Biography

I began with the National Seismic Hazards Mapping Project in Golden, CO in 2004 and now spend most of my activities within the Central and Eastern U.S. Seismic Hazards Project. I am an Adjunct Professor at the Center for Earthquake Research and Information at the University of Memphis where I help students to better understand seismic hazards. Much of my research focuses on several aspects of earthquake hazards including time-dependent earthquake probabilities, declustering of foreshocks and aftershocks, and parameters related to earthquake sources. I helped update the central and eastern United States source models for the 2008 and 2014 updates of the National Seismic Hazard Maps. Other recent projects include a time-dependent seismic hazard map of Alaska and a seismic hazard analysis of Afghanistan, the latter being done in conjunction with other U.S. Agency for International Development’s reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. Prior to joining the Survey, I obtained my Ph.D. in Geophysics from the University of Colorado at Boulder where I performed laboratory experiments on seismic wave attenuation and produced and interpreted tomographic images of seismic wave attenuation and velocity beneath the western United States.

Science and Products

Publications

Filter Total Items: 30

Year Published: 2018

Depth to basement and thickness of unconsolidated sediments for the western United States—Initial estimates for layers of the U.S. Geological Survey National Crustal Model

We present numeric grids containing estimates of the thickness of unconsolidated sediments and depth to the pre-Cenozoicbasement for the western United States. Values for these grids were combined and integrated from previous studies or deriveddirectly from gravity analyses. The grids are provided with 1-kilometer grid-node spacing in ScienceBase...

Shah, Anjana K.; Boyd, Oliver S.

Attribution: Geology, Mapping, Remote Sensing, and Geospatial Data, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, United States of America

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Shah, A.K, and Boyd, O.S., 2018, Depth to basement and thickness of unconsolidated sediments for the western United States—Initial estimates for layers of the U.S. Geological Survey National Crustal Model: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1115, 13 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181115.

Year Published: 2018

Integrate urban‐scale seismic hazard analyses with the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model

For more than 20 yrs, damage patterns and instrumental recordings have highlighted the influence of the local 3D geologic structure on earthquake ground motions (e.g., M">M 6.7 Northridge, California, Gao et al., 1996; M">M 6.9 Kobe, Japan, Kawase, 1996; M">M 6.8 Nisqually, Washington, Frankel...

Moschetti, Morgan P.; Luco, Nicolas; Frankel, Arthur; Petersen, Mark D.; Aagaard, Brad T.; Baltay, Annemarie S.; Blanpied, Michael; Boyd, Oliver S.; Briggs, Richard W.; Gold, Ryan D.; Graves, Robert; Hartzell, Stephen H.; Rezaeian, Sanaz; Stephenson, William J.; Wald, David J.; Williams, Robert A.; Withers, Kyle

Attribution: Geologic Hazards Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, United States of America

Year Published: 2017

Influence of lithostatic stress on earthquake stress drops in North America

We estimate stress drops for earthquakes in and near the continental United States using the method of spectral ratios. The ratio of acceleration spectra between collocated earthquakes recorded at a given station removes the effects of path and recording site and yields source parameters including corner frequency for, and the ratio of seismic...

Boyd, Oliver S.; McNamara, Daniel E.; Hartzell, Stephen H.; Choy, George

Attribution: Geologic Hazards Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, United States of America

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Boyd, O. S., D. E. McNamara, S. Hartzell, and G. Choy (2017), Influence of Lithostatic Stress on Earthquake Stress Drops in North America, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 107(2), doi:10.1785/0120160219.

Year Published: 2016

2016 Eastern Section SSA Annual Meeting Report

Report on the Eastern Section Seismological Society of America Meeting.

Pratt, Thomas L.; Goulet, Christine A.; Boyd, Oliver S.

Attribution: Geologic Hazards Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, United States of America

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Pratt, T., Goulet, C., and Boyd, O., 2016, 2016 Eastern Section SSA Annual Meeting Report, Seismological Research Letters, v. 88, p. 224-262. DOI: 10.1785/0220160205

Year Published: 2016

A rare moderate‐sized (Mw 4.9) earthquake in Kansas: Rupture process of the Milan, Kansas, earthquake of 12 November 2014 and its relationship to fluid injection

The largest recorded earthquake in Kansas occurred northeast of Milan on 12 November 2014 (Mw 4.9) in a region previously devoid of significant seismic activity. Applying multistation processing to data from local stations, we are able to detail the rupture process and rupture geometry of the mainshock, identify the causative fault plane, and...

Choy, George; Rubinstein, Justin L.; Yeck, William L.; McNamara, Daniel E.; Mueller, Charles; Boyd, Oliver S.

Attribution: Geologic Hazards Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Kansas, United States of America

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George L. Choy, Justin L. Rubinstein, William L. Yeck, Daniel E. McNamara, Charles S. Mueller, Oliver S. Boyd DOI: 10.1785/0220160100 Published on November 2016, First Published on September 14, 2016

Year Published: 2016

St. Louis area earthquake hazards mapping project; seismic and liquefaction hazard maps

We present probabilistic and deterministic seismic and liquefaction hazard maps for the densely populated St. Louis metropolitan area that account for the expected effects of surficial geology on earthquake ground shaking. Hazard calculations were based on a map grid of 0.005°, or about every 500 m, and are thus higher in resolution than any...

Cramer, Chris H.; Bauer, Robert A.; Chung, Jae-won; Rogers, David; Pierce, Larry; Voigt, Vicki; Mitchell, Brad; Gaunt, David; Williams, Robert; Hoffman, David; Hempen, Gregory L.; Steckel, Phyllis; Boyd, Oliver S.; Watkins, Connor M.; Tucker, Kathleen; McCallister, Natasha

Attribution: Geologic Hazards Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, United States of America

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Cramer C.H., Bauer R.A., Chung J.-W., Rogers J.D., Pierce L., Voigt V., Mitchell B., Gaunt D., Williams R.A., Hoffman D., Hempen G.L., Steckel P.J., Boyd O.S., Watkins C.M., Tucker K., McCallister N.S. St. Louis area earthquake hazards mapping project; seismic and liquefaction hazard maps Seismological Research Letters, January, 2017, Vol. 88, Issue 1, pp. 206-223

Year Published: 2016

Dense lower crust elevates long-term earthquake rates in the New Madrid seismic zone

Knowledge of the local state of stress is critical in appraising intraplate seismic hazard. Inverting earthquake moment tensors, we demonstrate that principal stress directions in the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) differ significantly from those in the surrounding region. Faults in the NMSZ that are incompatible with slip in the regional stress...

Levandowski, William Brower; Boyd, Oliver S.; Ramirez-Guzman, Leonardo

Attribution: Geologic Hazards Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, United States of America

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Levandowski, W., O. S. Boyd, and L. Ramirez-Guzmán (2016), Dense lower crust elevates long-term earthquake rates in the New Madrid seismic zone, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, doi:10.1002/2016GL070175.

Year Published: 2015

Seismic hazard in the eastern United States

The U.S. Geological Survey seismic hazard maps for the central and eastern United States were updated in 2014. We analyze results and changes for the eastern part of the region. Ratio maps are presented, along with tables of ground motions and deaggregations for selected cities. The Charleston fault model was revised, and a new fault source for...

Mueller, Charles; Boyd, Oliver S.; Petersen, Mark D.; Moschetti, Morgan P.; Rezaeian, Sanaz; Shumway, Allison

Attribution: Geologic Hazards Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, United States of America

Year Published: 2015

Seismic hazard in the Nation's breadbasket

The USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps were updated in 2014 and included several important changes for the central United States (CUS). Background seismicity sources were improved using a new moment-magnitude-based catalog; a new adaptive, nearest-neighbor smoothing kernel was implemented; and maximum magnitudes for background sources were updated...

Boyd, Oliver S.; Haller, Kathleen; Luco, Nicolas; Moschetti, Morgan P.; Mueller, Charles; Petersen, Mark D.; Rezaeian, Sanaz; Rubinstein, Justin L.

Attribution: Geologic Hazards Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, United States of America

Year Published: 2015

Seismic source characterization for the 2014 update of the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model

We present the updated seismic source characterization (SSC) for the 2014 update of the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) for the conterminous United States. Construction of the seismic source models employs the methodology that was developed for the 1996 NSHM but includes new and updated data, data types, source models, and source parameters...

Moschetti, Morgan P.; Powers, Peter M.; Petersen, Mark D.; Boyd, Oliver S.; Chen, Rui; Field, Edward H.; Frankel, Arthur; Haller, Kathleen; Harmsen, Stephen; Mueller, Charles S.; Wheeler, Russell; Zeng, Yuehua

Attribution: Geologic Hazards Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, United States of America

Year Published: 2015

The 2014 United States National Seismic Hazard Model

New seismic hazard maps have been developed for the conterminous United States using the latest data, models, and methods available for assessing earthquake hazard. The hazard models incorporate new information on earthquake rupture behavior observed in recent earthquakes; fault studies that use both geologic and geodetic strain rate data;...

Petersen, Mark D.; Moschetti, Morgan P.; Powers, Peter M.; Mueller, Charles; Haller, Kathleen; Frankel, Arthur; Zeng, Yuehua; Rezaeian, Sanaz; Harmsen, Stephen; Boyd, Oliver S.; Field, Edward H.; Chen, Rui; Rukstales, Kenneth S.; Luco, Nicolas; Wheeler, Russell; Williams, Robert; Olsen, Anna H.

Attribution: Geologic Hazards Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, United States of America

Year Published: 2015

A random-walk algorithm for modeling lithospheric density and the role of body forces in the evolution of the Midcontinent Rift

This paper develops a Monte Carlo algorithm for extracting three-dimensional lithospheric density models from geophysical data. Empirical scaling relationships between velocity and density create a 3D starting density model, which is then iteratively refined until it reproduces observed gravity and topography. This approach permits deviations from...

Levandowski, William Brower; Boyd, Oliver S.; Briggs, Richard W.; Gold, Ryan D.

Attribution: Geologic Hazards Science Center, Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, United States of America

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Levandowski, W., Boyd, O., Briggs, R. and Gold, R. (2015), A random-walk algorithm for modeling lithospheric density and the role of body forces in the evolution of the Midcontinent Rift. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst.. Accepted Author Manuscript. doi:10.1002/2015GC005961

Pre-USGS Publications

Crustal Deformation in the New Madrid Seismic Zone and the Role of Postseismic Processes

Boyd, O. S., R. Smalley, and Y. Zeng (2015), Crustal Deformation in the New Madrid Seismic Zone and the Role of Postseismic Processes, J. Geophys. Res., 120(8), 5782–5803, doi:10.1002/2015JB012049.