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: 26
Whole Rock Major and Trace Element Chemistry for Igneous and Sedimentary Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska Whole Rock Major and Trace Element Chemistry for Igneous and Sedimentary Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska
This data release contains whole rock major and trace element data for 399 igneous and sedimentary rock samples collected from the Western Alaska Range between 1968 and 2014 and funded by the Mineral Resources Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. All materials were analyzed by ALS Global, between 2014 and 2018, by a range of different techniques, so multiple unique entries for a given...
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...
Geologic Inputs for the 2023 Alaska Update to the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) Geologic Inputs for the 2023 Alaska Update to the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM)
This data release is composed of three crustal (as opposed to subduction zone) geologic input datasets for the 2023 Alaska update to the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM): 1) fault section vector line data, 2) fault zone vector polygon data, and 3) accompanying earthquake geology attributes.
Alaska Fault Trace Mapping, 2021 Alaska Fault Trace Mapping, 2021
This dataset provides a detailed (1:10,000) digital map of fault and fold traces in Alaska, USA based on features identified in the freely available ArcticDEM 3.0. The fault traces represented in this dataset either revise the location and accuracy of known active faults or folds archived in the USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database, or represent the surface traces of active structures...
Airborne Lidar-based Digital Elevation Models of Coastal Montague Island (Alaska) Acquired September 2018 Airborne Lidar-based Digital Elevation Models of Coastal Montague Island (Alaska) Acquired September 2018
This dataset provides a digital elevation model mosaic derived from airborne lidar data acquired in 2018 from September 2–3 over eight separate areas along Alaska's Montague Island coast, between Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska.
U-Pb Isotopic Data and Ages of Titanite and Detrital Zircon from Selected Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska U-Pb Isotopic Data and Ages of Titanite and Detrital Zircon from Selected Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska
This dataset contains U-Pb isotopic data and associated ages of titanite from one sample and detrital zircon grains from 33 sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks collected from the western Alaska Range in south-central Alaska. The samples were collected as part of geological mapping and research conducted between 2010 and 2014 and funded by the Mineral Resources Program of the U.S...
Multibeam and multichannel sparker seismic-reflection data between Cross Sound and Dixon Entrance, offshore southeastern Alaska, collected from 2016-05-17 to 2016-06-12 during field activity 2016-625-FA Multibeam and multichannel sparker seismic-reflection data between Cross Sound and Dixon Entrance, offshore southeastern Alaska, collected from 2016-05-17 to 2016-06-12 during field activity 2016-625-FA
Multibeam bathymetry and multisparker data were collected along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault between Icy Point and Dixon Entrance, offshore southeastern Alaska from 2016-05-17 to 2016-06-12.
Filter Total Items: 155
Rapid shallow megathrust afterslip from the 2021 M8.2 Chignik, Alaska earthquake revealed by seafloor geodesy Rapid shallow megathrust afterslip from the 2021 M8.2 Chignik, Alaska earthquake revealed by seafloor geodesy
The shallower portions of subduction zone megathrust faults host Earth’s most hazardous tsunamigenic earthquakes, yet understanding how and when they slip remains elusive because of challenges making seafloor observations. We performed Global Navigation Satellite System Acoustic seafloor geodetic surveys before and ~2.5 months after the 29 July 2021 Mw (moment magnitude) 8.2 Chignik...
Authors
Benjamin A. Brooks, Dara Elyse Goldberg, John DeSanto, Todd Ericksen, Spahr Webb, Scott Nooner, C. David Chadwell, James H. Foster, Sarah E. Minson, Robert C. Witter, Peter J. Haeussler, Jeffery T. Freymueller, William D. Barnhart, Johanna Nevitt
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
Extreme Quaternary plate boundary exhumation and strike slip localized along the southern Fairweather fault, Alaska, USA Extreme Quaternary plate boundary exhumation and strike slip localized along the southern Fairweather fault, Alaska, USA
The Fairweather fault (southeastern Alaska, USA) is Earth’s fastest-slipping intracontinental strike-slip fault, but its long-term role in localizing Yakutat–(Pacific–)North America plate motion is poorly constrained. This plate boundary fault transitions northward from pure strike slip to transpression where it comes onshore and undergoes a
Authors
Richard O. Lease, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert C. Witter, Daniel F. Stockli, Adrian Bender, Harvey Kelsey, Paul O’Sullivan
Cretaceous to Oligocene magmatic and tectonic evolution of the western Alaska Range: Insights from U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology Cretaceous to Oligocene magmatic and tectonic evolution of the western Alaska Range: Insights from U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology
New U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar ages integrated with geologic mapping and observations across the western Alaska Range constrain the distribution and tectonic setting of Cretaceous to Oligocene magmatism along an evolving accretionary plate margin in south-central Alaska. These rocks were emplaced across basement domains that include Neoproterozoic to Jurassic carbonate and siliciclastic strata...
Authors
James V. Jones, Erin Todd, Stephen E. Box, Peter J. Haeussler, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Susan M. Karl, Garth E. Graham, Dwight Bradley, Andrew R.C. Kylander-Clark, Richard M. Friedman, Paul W. Layer
Detection and assessment of a large and potentially tsunamigenic periglacial landslide in Barry Arm, Alaska Detection and assessment of a large and potentially tsunamigenic periglacial landslide in Barry Arm, Alaska
The retreat of glaciers in response to global warming has the potential to trigger landslides in glaciated regions around the globe. Landslides that enter fjords or lakes can cause tsunamis, which endanger people and infrastructure far from the landslide itself. Here we document the ongoing movement of an unstable slope (total volume of 455 million m3) in Barry Arm, a fjord in Prince...
Authors
Chunli Dai, Bretwood Higman, Patrick J. Lynett, Mylene Jacquemart, Ian Howat, Anna K. Liljedahl, Anja Dufresne, Jeffery T. Freymueller, Marten Geertsema, Melissa Ward Jones, Peter J. Haeussler
The Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment The Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment
The Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE) is a shoreline‐crossing passive‐ and active‐source seismic experiment that took place from May 2018 through August 2019 along an ∼700 km∼700 km long section of the Aleutian subduction zone spanning Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula. The experiment featured 105 broadband seismometers; 30 were deployed onshore, and 75 were...
Authors
C. Grace Barcheck, Geoffrey A. Abers, Aubreya N. Adams, Anne Becel, John A. Collins, James B. Gaherty, Peter J. Haeussler, Zongshan Li, Ginevra Moore, Evans Onyango, Emily C. Roland, Daniel E. Sampson, Susan Y. Schwartz, Anne F Sheehan, Donna J. Shillington, Patrick J Shore, Spahr Webb, Douglas A Wiens, Lindsay L Worthington
Three-dimensional shape and structure of the Susitna basin, south-central Alaska, from geophysical data Three-dimensional shape and structure of the Susitna basin, south-central Alaska, from geophysical data
We use gravity, magnetic, seismic reflection, well, and outcrop data to determine the three-dimensional shape and structural features of south-central Alaska’s Susitna basin. This basin is located within the Aleutian-Alaskan convergent margin region and is expected to show effects of regional subduction zone processes. Aeromagnetic data, when filtered to highlight anomalies associated...
Authors
Anjana K. Shah, Jeffrey Phillips, Kristen A. Lewis, Richard G. Stanley, Peter J. Haeussler, Christopher J. Potter
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 26
Whole Rock Major and Trace Element Chemistry for Igneous and Sedimentary Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska Whole Rock Major and Trace Element Chemistry for Igneous and Sedimentary Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska
This data release contains whole rock major and trace element data for 399 igneous and sedimentary rock samples collected from the Western Alaska Range between 1968 and 2014 and funded by the Mineral Resources Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. All materials were analyzed by ALS Global, between 2014 and 2018, by a range of different techniques, so multiple unique entries for a given...
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...
Geologic Inputs for the 2023 Alaska Update to the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) Geologic Inputs for the 2023 Alaska Update to the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM)
This data release is composed of three crustal (as opposed to subduction zone) geologic input datasets for the 2023 Alaska update to the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM): 1) fault section vector line data, 2) fault zone vector polygon data, and 3) accompanying earthquake geology attributes.
Alaska Fault Trace Mapping, 2021 Alaska Fault Trace Mapping, 2021
This dataset provides a detailed (1:10,000) digital map of fault and fold traces in Alaska, USA based on features identified in the freely available ArcticDEM 3.0. The fault traces represented in this dataset either revise the location and accuracy of known active faults or folds archived in the USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database, or represent the surface traces of active structures...
Airborne Lidar-based Digital Elevation Models of Coastal Montague Island (Alaska) Acquired September 2018 Airborne Lidar-based Digital Elevation Models of Coastal Montague Island (Alaska) Acquired September 2018
This dataset provides a digital elevation model mosaic derived from airborne lidar data acquired in 2018 from September 2–3 over eight separate areas along Alaska's Montague Island coast, between Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska.
U-Pb Isotopic Data and Ages of Titanite and Detrital Zircon from Selected Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska U-Pb Isotopic Data and Ages of Titanite and Detrital Zircon from Selected Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska
This dataset contains U-Pb isotopic data and associated ages of titanite from one sample and detrital zircon grains from 33 sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks collected from the western Alaska Range in south-central Alaska. The samples were collected as part of geological mapping and research conducted between 2010 and 2014 and funded by the Mineral Resources Program of the U.S...
Multibeam and multichannel sparker seismic-reflection data between Cross Sound and Dixon Entrance, offshore southeastern Alaska, collected from 2016-05-17 to 2016-06-12 during field activity 2016-625-FA Multibeam and multichannel sparker seismic-reflection data between Cross Sound and Dixon Entrance, offshore southeastern Alaska, collected from 2016-05-17 to 2016-06-12 during field activity 2016-625-FA
Multibeam bathymetry and multisparker data were collected along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault between Icy Point and Dixon Entrance, offshore southeastern Alaska from 2016-05-17 to 2016-06-12.
Filter Total Items: 155
Rapid shallow megathrust afterslip from the 2021 M8.2 Chignik, Alaska earthquake revealed by seafloor geodesy Rapid shallow megathrust afterslip from the 2021 M8.2 Chignik, Alaska earthquake revealed by seafloor geodesy
The shallower portions of subduction zone megathrust faults host Earth’s most hazardous tsunamigenic earthquakes, yet understanding how and when they slip remains elusive because of challenges making seafloor observations. We performed Global Navigation Satellite System Acoustic seafloor geodetic surveys before and ~2.5 months after the 29 July 2021 Mw (moment magnitude) 8.2 Chignik...
Authors
Benjamin A. Brooks, Dara Elyse Goldberg, John DeSanto, Todd Ericksen, Spahr Webb, Scott Nooner, C. David Chadwell, James H. Foster, Sarah E. Minson, Robert C. Witter, Peter J. Haeussler, Jeffery T. Freymueller, William D. Barnhart, Johanna Nevitt
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
Extreme Quaternary plate boundary exhumation and strike slip localized along the southern Fairweather fault, Alaska, USA Extreme Quaternary plate boundary exhumation and strike slip localized along the southern Fairweather fault, Alaska, USA
The Fairweather fault (southeastern Alaska, USA) is Earth’s fastest-slipping intracontinental strike-slip fault, but its long-term role in localizing Yakutat–(Pacific–)North America plate motion is poorly constrained. This plate boundary fault transitions northward from pure strike slip to transpression where it comes onshore and undergoes a
Authors
Richard O. Lease, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert C. Witter, Daniel F. Stockli, Adrian Bender, Harvey Kelsey, Paul O’Sullivan
Cretaceous to Oligocene magmatic and tectonic evolution of the western Alaska Range: Insights from U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology Cretaceous to Oligocene magmatic and tectonic evolution of the western Alaska Range: Insights from U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology
New U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar ages integrated with geologic mapping and observations across the western Alaska Range constrain the distribution and tectonic setting of Cretaceous to Oligocene magmatism along an evolving accretionary plate margin in south-central Alaska. These rocks were emplaced across basement domains that include Neoproterozoic to Jurassic carbonate and siliciclastic strata...
Authors
James V. Jones, Erin Todd, Stephen E. Box, Peter J. Haeussler, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Susan M. Karl, Garth E. Graham, Dwight Bradley, Andrew R.C. Kylander-Clark, Richard M. Friedman, Paul W. Layer
Detection and assessment of a large and potentially tsunamigenic periglacial landslide in Barry Arm, Alaska Detection and assessment of a large and potentially tsunamigenic periglacial landslide in Barry Arm, Alaska
The retreat of glaciers in response to global warming has the potential to trigger landslides in glaciated regions around the globe. Landslides that enter fjords or lakes can cause tsunamis, which endanger people and infrastructure far from the landslide itself. Here we document the ongoing movement of an unstable slope (total volume of 455 million m3) in Barry Arm, a fjord in Prince...
Authors
Chunli Dai, Bretwood Higman, Patrick J. Lynett, Mylene Jacquemart, Ian Howat, Anna K. Liljedahl, Anja Dufresne, Jeffery T. Freymueller, Marten Geertsema, Melissa Ward Jones, Peter J. Haeussler
The Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment The Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment
The Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE) is a shoreline‐crossing passive‐ and active‐source seismic experiment that took place from May 2018 through August 2019 along an ∼700 km∼700 km long section of the Aleutian subduction zone spanning Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula. The experiment featured 105 broadband seismometers; 30 were deployed onshore, and 75 were...
Authors
C. Grace Barcheck, Geoffrey A. Abers, Aubreya N. Adams, Anne Becel, John A. Collins, James B. Gaherty, Peter J. Haeussler, Zongshan Li, Ginevra Moore, Evans Onyango, Emily C. Roland, Daniel E. Sampson, Susan Y. Schwartz, Anne F Sheehan, Donna J. Shillington, Patrick J Shore, Spahr Webb, Douglas A Wiens, Lindsay L Worthington
Three-dimensional shape and structure of the Susitna basin, south-central Alaska, from geophysical data Three-dimensional shape and structure of the Susitna basin, south-central Alaska, from geophysical data
We use gravity, magnetic, seismic reflection, well, and outcrop data to determine the three-dimensional shape and structural features of south-central Alaska’s Susitna basin. This basin is located within the Aleutian-Alaskan convergent margin region and is expected to show effects of regional subduction zone processes. Aeromagnetic data, when filtered to highlight anomalies associated...
Authors
Anjana K. Shah, Jeffrey Phillips, Kristen A. Lewis, Richard G. Stanley, Peter J. Haeussler, Christopher J. Potter
*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