Peter J Haeussler, Ph.D.
Most of my research is related to earthquake and tsunami hazards in Alaska, with a focus on paleoseismology, submarine landslides, and active faulting. I am the Alaska Coordinator for the Earthquake Hazards Program of the USGS. I also study various aspects of the framework geology of Alaska, with a focus on neotectonics and tectonics.
I use various tools to understand earthquakes and earthquake hazards in Alaska. I’ve studied the tectonic evolution of parts of Alaska, accretionary prisms along Alaska’s margin, forearc and splay faulting, submarine landslides, mountain building and exhumation, landscape evolution, glacial histories, and sedimentary basins. I’ve worked with marine and terrestrial seismic reflection and potential field data. Current work is focused on lacustrine paleoseismology, splay faulting, and various seismic hazards projects.
Professional Experience
1994 - Present Research Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage, AK
1992 - 1994 Postdoctoral Researcher, U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage, AK
1992 Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
1986 - 1991 Research Assistant, University of California Santa Cruz
1985 - 1988 Teaching Assistant, University of California Santa Cruz
1985 Geologist, Lancer Energy Corporation, Wilmore, KY
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 1991 University of California Santa Cruz Earth Sciences
B.S. 1984 Michigan State University Geology
Affiliations and Memberships*
1985-present, American Geophysical Union
1985-present, Geological Society of America
1992-present, Alaska Geological Society
2010-present, Seismological Society of America
Honors and Awards
Fellow, Geological Society of America
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 25
U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar Geochronologic Data for Selected Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar Geochronologic Data for Selected Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska
This dataset includes four tables with isotopic data and ages for selected igneous bedrock samples collected in 2001 through 2003 from the Western Alaska Range, southcentral Alaska: (1) the concentration of uranium (U) and thorium (Th), ratios of multiple isotopes of lead (Pb) and U, and the age of multiple analytical aliquots, or fractions, of zircon for each sample; (2) the 40Ar/39Ar...
Combined High-Resolution Topography and Bathymetry for Western Passage Canal, Near Whittier, Alaska Combined High-Resolution Topography and Bathymetry for Western Passage Canal, Near Whittier, Alaska
This dataset is a new Digital Elevation Model (DEM) using the best available high-resolution topography and bathymetry surrounding the area of Whittier, Alaska. We utilized three datasets (1) LiDAR topography collected by the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) in 2012, (2) multibeam echosounder system (MBES) survey of western Passage Canal collected by the USGS...
Gridded Data from Multibeam Bathymetric Surveys of Eklutna, Kenai, and Skilak Lakes, Alaska Gridded Data from Multibeam Bathymetric Surveys of Eklutna, Kenai, and Skilak Lakes, Alaska
This dataset contains bathymetric depth values for three lakes in southcentral Alaska: Eklutna Lake near the city of Anchorage, Kenai Lake near the city of Cooper Landing, and Skilak Lake near the city of Soldotna. Values are in negative meters and measured relative to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988. The data release consists of a raster grids (Eklutna = 4 m; Kenai = 9 m...
Gridded Data from a 2011 Multibeam Bathymetric Survey of the Western Part of Passage Canal, Near Whittier, Alaska Gridded Data from a 2011 Multibeam Bathymetric Survey of the Western Part of Passage Canal, Near Whittier, Alaska
This data release provides bathymetry data for the western part of Passage Canal, near Whittier Alaska. It was collected by the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in 2011 under Field Activity Number A0111GA. The data release consists of a 5 m grid, derived from processed and cleaned multibeam data. Depths were corrected for tidal variations and calculated using conductivity
Simulated inundation extent and depth at Whittier, Alaska resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska Simulated inundation extent and depth at Whittier, Alaska resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska
This data release contains postprocessed model output from simulations of hypothetical rapid motion of landslides, subsequent wave generation, and wave propagation. A modeled tsunami wave was generated by rapid motion of unstable material into Barry Arm Fjord. This wave propagated through Prince William Sound and then into Passage Canal east of Whittier. Here we consider only the largest...
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 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...
Filter Total Items: 154
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 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...
Authors
Brian D. Andrews, Daniel S. Brothers, Peter Dartnell, J. Vaughn Barrie, Peter J. Haeussler, Kristen M. Green, H. Gary Greene, Nathaniel C. Miller, Jared W. Kluesner, Uri S. ten Brink
Upper-plate structure and tsunamigenic faults near the Kodiak Islands, Alaska, USA Upper-plate structure and tsunamigenic faults near the Kodiak Islands, Alaska, USA
The Kodiak Islands lie near the southern terminus of the 1964 Great Alaska earthquake rupture area and within the Kodiak subduction zone segment. Both local and trans-Pacific tsunamis were generated during this devastating megathrust event, but the local tsunami source region and the causative faults are poorly understood. We provide an updated view of the tsunami and earthquake hazard...
Authors
Marlon D. Ramos, Lee M Liberty, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert John Humphreys
Revisiting the 1899 earthquake series using integrative geophysical analysis in Yakutat Bay, Alaska 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
Unravelling a 2300 year long sedimentary record of megathrust and intraslab earthquakes in proglacial Skilak Lake, south-central Alaska Unravelling a 2300 year long sedimentary record of megathrust and intraslab earthquakes in proglacial Skilak Lake, south-central Alaska
Seismic hazards in subduction settings typically arise from megathrust, intraslab and crustal earthquake sources. Despite the frequent occurrence of intraslab earthquakes in subduction zones and their potential threat to communities, their long-term recurrence behaviour is barely studied. Sedimentary sequences in lakes may register ground shaking from different seismic sources. This...
Authors
Nore Praet, Maarten Van Daele, Jasper Moernaut, Thomas Mestdagh, Thomas Vandorpe, Britta J.L. Jensen, Robert C. Witter, Peter J. Haeussler, Marc De Batist
Late Quaternary deglaciation of Prince William Sound, Alaska Late Quaternary deglaciation of Prince William Sound, Alaska
To understand the timing of deglaciation of the northernmost marine-terminating glaciers of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS), we obtained 26 10Be surface-exposure ages from glacially scoured bedrock surfaces in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. We sampled six elevation transects between sea level and 620 m and spanning a distance of 14 to 70 km along ice flow paths. Most transect age...
Authors
Peter J. Haeussler, Ari Matmon, Maurice Arnold, Georges Aumaitre, Didier Bourles, Karim Keddadouche
Geomorphic expression and slip rate of the Fairweather fault, southeast Alaska, and evidence for predecessors of the 1958 rupture Geomorphic expression and slip rate of the Fairweather fault, southeast Alaska, and evidence for predecessors of the 1958 rupture
Active traces of the southern Fairweather fault were revealed by light detection and ranging (lidar) and show evidence for transpressional deformation between North America and the Yakutat block in southeast Alaska. We map the Holocene geomorphic expression of tectonic deformation along the southern 30 km of the Fairweather fault, which ruptured in the 1958 moment magnitude 7.8...
Authors
Robert C. Witter, Adrian Bender, Katherine M. Scharer, Christopher B. DuRoss, Peter J. Haeussler, Richard O. Lease
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 25
U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar Geochronologic Data for Selected Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar Geochronologic Data for Selected Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska
This dataset includes four tables with isotopic data and ages for selected igneous bedrock samples collected in 2001 through 2003 from the Western Alaska Range, southcentral Alaska: (1) the concentration of uranium (U) and thorium (Th), ratios of multiple isotopes of lead (Pb) and U, and the age of multiple analytical aliquots, or fractions, of zircon for each sample; (2) the 40Ar/39Ar...
Combined High-Resolution Topography and Bathymetry for Western Passage Canal, Near Whittier, Alaska Combined High-Resolution Topography and Bathymetry for Western Passage Canal, Near Whittier, Alaska
This dataset is a new Digital Elevation Model (DEM) using the best available high-resolution topography and bathymetry surrounding the area of Whittier, Alaska. We utilized three datasets (1) LiDAR topography collected by the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) in 2012, (2) multibeam echosounder system (MBES) survey of western Passage Canal collected by the USGS...
Gridded Data from Multibeam Bathymetric Surveys of Eklutna, Kenai, and Skilak Lakes, Alaska Gridded Data from Multibeam Bathymetric Surveys of Eklutna, Kenai, and Skilak Lakes, Alaska
This dataset contains bathymetric depth values for three lakes in southcentral Alaska: Eklutna Lake near the city of Anchorage, Kenai Lake near the city of Cooper Landing, and Skilak Lake near the city of Soldotna. Values are in negative meters and measured relative to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988. The data release consists of a raster grids (Eklutna = 4 m; Kenai = 9 m...
Gridded Data from a 2011 Multibeam Bathymetric Survey of the Western Part of Passage Canal, Near Whittier, Alaska Gridded Data from a 2011 Multibeam Bathymetric Survey of the Western Part of Passage Canal, Near Whittier, Alaska
This data release provides bathymetry data for the western part of Passage Canal, near Whittier Alaska. It was collected by the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in 2011 under Field Activity Number A0111GA. The data release consists of a 5 m grid, derived from processed and cleaned multibeam data. Depths were corrected for tidal variations and calculated using conductivity
Simulated inundation extent and depth at Whittier, Alaska resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska Simulated inundation extent and depth at Whittier, Alaska resulting from the hypothetical rapid motion of landslides into Barry Arm Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska
This data release contains postprocessed model output from simulations of hypothetical rapid motion of landslides, subsequent wave generation, and wave propagation. A modeled tsunami wave was generated by rapid motion of unstable material into Barry Arm Fjord. This wave propagated through Prince William Sound and then into Passage Canal east of Whittier. Here we consider only the largest...
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 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...
Filter Total Items: 154
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 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...
Authors
Brian D. Andrews, Daniel S. Brothers, Peter Dartnell, J. Vaughn Barrie, Peter J. Haeussler, Kristen M. Green, H. Gary Greene, Nathaniel C. Miller, Jared W. Kluesner, Uri S. ten Brink
Upper-plate structure and tsunamigenic faults near the Kodiak Islands, Alaska, USA Upper-plate structure and tsunamigenic faults near the Kodiak Islands, Alaska, USA
The Kodiak Islands lie near the southern terminus of the 1964 Great Alaska earthquake rupture area and within the Kodiak subduction zone segment. Both local and trans-Pacific tsunamis were generated during this devastating megathrust event, but the local tsunami source region and the causative faults are poorly understood. We provide an updated view of the tsunami and earthquake hazard...
Authors
Marlon D. Ramos, Lee M Liberty, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert John Humphreys
Revisiting the 1899 earthquake series using integrative geophysical analysis in Yakutat Bay, Alaska 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
Unravelling a 2300 year long sedimentary record of megathrust and intraslab earthquakes in proglacial Skilak Lake, south-central Alaska Unravelling a 2300 year long sedimentary record of megathrust and intraslab earthquakes in proglacial Skilak Lake, south-central Alaska
Seismic hazards in subduction settings typically arise from megathrust, intraslab and crustal earthquake sources. Despite the frequent occurrence of intraslab earthquakes in subduction zones and their potential threat to communities, their long-term recurrence behaviour is barely studied. Sedimentary sequences in lakes may register ground shaking from different seismic sources. This...
Authors
Nore Praet, Maarten Van Daele, Jasper Moernaut, Thomas Mestdagh, Thomas Vandorpe, Britta J.L. Jensen, Robert C. Witter, Peter J. Haeussler, Marc De Batist
Late Quaternary deglaciation of Prince William Sound, Alaska Late Quaternary deglaciation of Prince William Sound, Alaska
To understand the timing of deglaciation of the northernmost marine-terminating glaciers of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS), we obtained 26 10Be surface-exposure ages from glacially scoured bedrock surfaces in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. We sampled six elevation transects between sea level and 620 m and spanning a distance of 14 to 70 km along ice flow paths. Most transect age...
Authors
Peter J. Haeussler, Ari Matmon, Maurice Arnold, Georges Aumaitre, Didier Bourles, Karim Keddadouche
Geomorphic expression and slip rate of the Fairweather fault, southeast Alaska, and evidence for predecessors of the 1958 rupture Geomorphic expression and slip rate of the Fairweather fault, southeast Alaska, and evidence for predecessors of the 1958 rupture
Active traces of the southern Fairweather fault were revealed by light detection and ranging (lidar) and show evidence for transpressional deformation between North America and the Yakutat block in southeast Alaska. We map the Holocene geomorphic expression of tectonic deformation along the southern 30 km of the Fairweather fault, which ruptured in the 1958 moment magnitude 7.8...
Authors
Robert C. Witter, Adrian Bender, Katherine M. Scharer, Christopher B. DuRoss, Peter J. Haeussler, Richard O. Lease
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government