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
Controls on accretion of flysch and melange belts at convergent margins: Evidence from the Chugach Bay thrust and Iceworm melange, Chugach accretionary wedge, Alaska
A link between ridge subduction and gold mineralization in southern Alaska
Mesothermal gold deposits of Westland, New Zealand and southern Alaska: Products of similar tectonic processes?
Link between ridge subduction and gold mineralization in southern Alaska
Earthquake information needs in south-central Alaska
Earthquakes in Alaska
Possible active fault traces on or near the Castle Mountain fault between Houston and the Hatcher Pass Road: A section in RGeologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1993
Map and compilation of structural data from lode-gold mineral occurrences in the Chugach-Prince William Terrane of Southern Alaska
Timing of early Tertiary ridge subduction in southern Alaska: A section in Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1992
Structural evolution of the Chugach-Prince William terrane at the hinge of the orocline in Prince William Sound, and implications for ore deposits
Tilting, burial, and uplift of the Guadalupe Igneous Complex, Sierra Nevada, California
Paleomagnetism of the Late Triassic Hound Island Volcanics: Revisited
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 146
Controls on accretion of flysch and melange belts at convergent margins: Evidence from the Chugach Bay thrust and Iceworm melange, Chugach accretionary wedge, Alaska
Controls on accretion of flysch and mélange terranes at convergent margins are poorly understood. Southern Alaska's Chugach terrane forms the outboard accretionary margin of the Wrangellia composite terrane, and consists of two major lithotectonic units, including Triassic-Cretaceous mélange of the McHugh Complex and Late Cretaceous flysch of the Valdez Group. The contact between the McHugh CompleAuthorsTimothy M. Kusky, Dwight C. Bradley, Peter J. Haeussler, Susan M. KarlA link between ridge subduction and gold mineralization in southern Alaska
No abstract available.AuthorsPeter J. HaeusslerMesothermal gold deposits of Westland, New Zealand and southern Alaska: Products of similar tectonic processes?
No abstract available.AuthorsR. J. Goldfarb, T. Christie, D. Skinner, Peter J. Haeussler, D. C. BradleyLink between ridge subduction and gold mineralization in southern Alaska
40Ar/39Ar geochronology reveals that turbidite-hosted gold deposits in the southern Alaska accretionary prism are the same age as nearby near-trench plutons. These early Tertiary plutons and gold lodes formed above a slab window during subduction of an oceanic spreading center. Ridge subduction is a previously unrecognized tectonic process for the generation of lode gold.AuthorsPeter J. Haeussler, Dwight C. Bradley, Richard Goldfarb, Lawrence W. Snee, Cliff D. TaylorEarthquake information needs in south-central Alaska
No abstract available.AuthorsR.A. Page, Peter J. HaeusslerEarthquakes in Alaska
Earthquake risk is high in much of the southern half of Alaska, but it is not the same everywhere. This map shows the overall geologic setting in Alaska that produces earthquakes. The Pacific plate (darker blue) is sliding northwestward past southeastern Alaska and then dives beneath the North American plate (light blue, green, and brown) in southern Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula, and the AleutianAuthorsPeter J. Haeussler, George PlafkerPossible active fault traces on or near the Castle Mountain fault between Houston and the Hatcher Pass Road: A section in RGeologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1993
The Castle Mountain fault is one of several major east-northeast-striking faults in southern Alaska, and it has had historical seismicity and Holocene surface faulting. The Castle Mountain fault was delineated on a regional scale by Detterman and others (1974, 1976), who divided it into two physiographic segments. Mapping in a 30-km-long region between the two segments (from Houston to the HatcherAuthorsPeter J. HaeusslerMap and compilation of structural data from lode-gold mineral occurrences in the Chugach-Prince William Terrane of Southern Alaska
No abstract available.AuthorsPeter J. Haeussler, D. C. BradleyTiming of early Tertiary ridge subduction in southern Alaska: A section in Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1992
We present a new compilation of 158 isotopic ages from Tertiary plutons that intrude the accretionary prism (Chugach-Prince William composite terrane) of southern Alaska. Two broad plutonic age groups are present: Paleocene to Eocene (the Sanak-Baranof plutonic belt), and Oligocene to Miocene. Plutons of the Sanak-Baranof belt are broadly coeval with magmatism along the axis of an Andean-type arcAuthorsDwight C. Bradley, Peter J. Haeussler, Timothy M. KuskyStructural evolution of the Chugach-Prince William terrane at the hinge of the orocline in Prince William Sound, and implications for ore deposits
The Chugach-Prince William terrane is a Mesozoic through Tertiary accretionary complex that lies along coastal southern and southeastern Alaska. In Prince William Sound, the regional structural fabric bends about 90°, forming an orocline. Rocks at the hinge of the orocline consist of turbidites, conglomerate, and minor volcanic rocks and limestone. The structural geology in the hinge region defineAuthorsPeter J. Haeussler, Steven W. NelsonTilting, burial, and uplift of the Guadalupe Igneous Complex, Sierra Nevada, California
It is often incorrectly assumed that plutons have a relatively uneventful structural history after emplacement. The 151 Ma Guadalupe Igneous Complex (GIC) in the Foothills Terrane, California, was involved in three post-emplacement events: (1) ∼30° of southwestside-up tilting during ductile regional faulting and contraction, (2) burial of the pluton from ∼4 to 12 km during crustal thickening of thAuthorsPeter J. Haeussler, Scott R. PatersonPaleomagnetism of the Late Triassic Hound Island Volcanics: Revisited
The collision and accretion of the Alexander terrane profoundly influenced the geologic history of Alaska and western Canada; however, the terrane's displacement history is only poorly constrained by sparse paleomagnetic studies. We studied the paleomagnetism of the Hound Island Volcanics in order to evaluate the location of the Alexander terrane in Late Triassic time. We collected 618 samples atAuthorsPeter J. Haeussler, Robert S. Coe, T.C. Onstott - Software
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