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Peter J Haeussler, Ph.D.

I am the Alaska Coordinator for the Earthquake Hazards Program of the USGS. I provide input to the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program Council on Alaska issues and I am the Alaska coordinator for the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program external grants program. Feel free to contact me to discuss various proposal ideas.

Earthquake hazards

Onshore-offshore study of the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system.
Identification and characterization of seismic sources across southern Alaska, including the Castle Mountain fault, Denali fault, Totschunda fault, Broad Pass fault, Patton Bay thrust, Cape Cleare thrust, and fault cored folds in the Cook Inlet and Susitna basins.
Paleoseismology of the Alaska-Aleutian megathrust from coastal marsh and lake records.
I am strongly interested in improving our understanding of active and recent deformation in Alaska, whether it is onshore or offshore, using any types of data that shed light on the most recent geologic history of the state.

Submarine landslides

Characterization and description of submarine landslides in coastal fjords of southern Alaska generated by the 1964 M9.2 earthquake

Framework geology

Geology of the western Alaska Range and southeastern Alaska
Cook Inlet, Susitna, and Peters Hills basin geology
Accretionary complex history and record of ridge subduction

Alaska Earthquake Hazards Media Experience

I frequently discuss earthquake hazards and Alaskan geology with the media. I have appeared on, and provided input to, the National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, History Channel, Nightline, Frontline, and numerous other local and regional media outlets.
 

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

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A building after an earthquake has crumbled the roof and brick walls, the interior is now visible.

U.S. West Coast and Alaska Marine Geohazards

Marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. Such underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis.
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Natural Hazards, 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
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U.S. West Coast and Alaska Marine Geohazards

Marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. Such underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis.
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Map illustration showing fault lines and direction of tectonic plate movement along a stretch of the Alaskan coastline.

Earthquake Hazards in Southeastern Alaska

Over the last 100 years, the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system has produced large-magnitude earthquakes affecting both Canada and the U.S. To fill in missing details about its offshore location and structure, USGS uses sophisticated techniques to truly understand the fault’s hazard potential.
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Earthquake Hazards in Southeastern Alaska

Over the last 100 years, the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system has produced large-magnitude earthquakes affecting both Canada and the U.S. To fill in missing details about its offshore location and structure, USGS uses sophisticated techniques to truly understand the fault’s hazard potential.
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2018 Anchorage Earthquake -- Overflight Photo 1 - 12/03/18

M7.1 November 30, 2018 Anchorage Earthquake

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck north of Anchorage, Alaska, on November 30, 2018, at 8:29 a.m. local time (17:29:28 UTC).
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Alaska Science Center
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M7.1 November 30, 2018 Anchorage Earthquake

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck north of Anchorage, Alaska, on November 30, 2018, at 8:29 a.m. local time (17:29:28 UTC).
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Image: Denali Fault

Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards

Alaska has more large earthquakes than the rest of the United States combined. More than three-quarters of the state’s population live in an area that can experience a magnitude 7 earthquake. Our research provides objective science that helps stakeholders prepare for and mitigate the effects of future earthquakes and tsunamis, which bolsters the economic health and well-being of Alaska and the...
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Alaska Science Center
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Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards

Alaska has more large earthquakes than the rest of the United States combined. More than three-quarters of the state’s population live in an area that can experience a magnitude 7 earthquake. Our research provides objective science that helps stakeholders prepare for and mitigate the effects of future earthquakes and tsunamis, which bolsters the economic health and well-being of Alaska and the...
Learn More
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Map of Alaska with red lines

Alaska Seismic Hazard Map

The National Seismic Hazard Maps developed by the USGS show the spatial probability of peak earthquake-driven ground motion levels. Since the last revisions to the map for Alaska in 2007, scientists have made significant advances in understanding active faulting, fault slip rates, and fault behavior.
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Alaska Science Center
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Alaska Seismic Hazard Map

The National Seismic Hazard Maps developed by the USGS show the spatial probability of peak earthquake-driven ground motion levels. Since the last revisions to the map for Alaska in 2007, scientists have made significant advances in understanding active faulting, fault slip rates, and fault behavior.
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Image: Geologic Studies on Sitkinak Island, Alaska

Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone Studies

Our research team is exploring seismic and aseismic slip along the Alaska-Aleutian arc and studying the prehistoric record of megathrust earthquakes and tsunamis along the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zoneSeismic and Aseismic Slip: Tectonic tremor and associated slow slip events represent a newly discovered part of the earthquake cycle. This research aims to understand the process generating...
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Alaska Science Center
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Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone Studies

Our research team is exploring seismic and aseismic slip along the Alaska-Aleutian arc and studying the prehistoric record of megathrust earthquakes and tsunamis along the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zoneSeismic and Aseismic Slip: Tectonic tremor and associated slow slip events represent a newly discovered part of the earthquake cycle. This research aims to understand the process generating...
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Fault offset along the Queen Charlotte Fault

Characterizing the Active Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault System

This research aims to better characterize the earthquake potential of the southern Fairweather Fault in order to provide more accurate fault source data for the USGS National Seismic Hazard Map. Our approach interrogates lidar data and satellite imagery, applies paleoseismological methods to examine earthquake history, and leverages partnerships with USGS scientists from Colorado and California...
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Alaska Science Center
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Characterizing the Active Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault System

This research aims to better characterize the earthquake potential of the southern Fairweather Fault in order to provide more accurate fault source data for the USGS National Seismic Hazard Map. Our approach interrogates lidar data and satellite imagery, applies paleoseismological methods to examine earthquake history, and leverages partnerships with USGS scientists from Colorado and California...
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Image: Central Alaska Range

Western Alaska Range Metallogeny and Tectonics

There are many different types of mineral deposits present in the Western Alaska Range: plutonic gold, porphyry copper-gold (Pebble prospect), epithermal gold, tin-silver skarns, sedimentary barite, mafic hosted nickle-platinum-group elements, uranium-thorium rare earth elements, and even a diamond prospect.
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Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center
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Western Alaska Range Metallogeny and Tectonics

There are many different types of mineral deposits present in the Western Alaska Range: plutonic gold, porphyry copper-gold (Pebble prospect), epithermal gold, tin-silver skarns, sedimentary barite, mafic hosted nickle-platinum-group elements, uranium-thorium rare earth elements, and even a diamond prospect.
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The tsunami created by the 2004 M9.1 Sumatra earthquake.

The "Snow Plow Theory"* of Early-Arriving Tsunamis

Release Date: JUNE 1, 2015What is a splay fault, and how can they affect tsunamis?* completely contrived term by this author, not a scientific term or theory
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Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards
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The "Snow Plow Theory"* of Early-Arriving Tsunamis

Release Date: JUNE 1, 2015What is a splay fault, and how can they affect tsunamis?* completely contrived term by this author, not a scientific term or theory
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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 analytical
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Alaska Science Center

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 in the sum
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Alaska Science Center

Gridded Data from Multibeam Bathymetric Surveys of Eklutna, Kenai, and Skilak Lakes, Alaska

This dataset provides bathymetry data collected in 2015 for Eklutna, Kenai, and Skilak Lakes, Alaska. The data release consists of a grid for each lake (4 m, 9 m, and 7 m respectively), derived from processed and cleaned multibeam data. Depths were corrected using conductivity, temperature, and depth profiles collected during the surveys, and the data were cleaned of spurious returns.
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Alaska Science Center

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, temperatur
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Alaska Science Center

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 wave-gene
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Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Geologic Inputs for the 2023 Alaska Update to the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM)

This data release comprises three crustal (as opposed to subduction zone) geologic input datasets for the 2023 Alaska update to the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM): a fault sections map dataset, a fault zones map dataset, and an accompanying earthquake geology table.
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Alaska Science Center

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 not previ
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Alaska Science Center

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.
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Alaska Science Center

U-Pb Isotopic Data and Ages of Titanite and Detrital Zircon from Selected Rocks from the Western Alaska Range, Alaska

This data set 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. Geological Sur
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Alaska Science Center

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.
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Multichannel minisparker and chirp seismic-reflection data of field activity 2015-651-FA; Chatham Strait and Cross Sound, southeastern Alaska from 2015-08-03 to 2015-08-21

High-resolution multichannel minisparker and chirp seismic-reflection data were collected in August of 2015 to explore marine geologic hazards of inland waterways of southeastern Alaska. Sub-bottom profiles were acquired in the inland waters between Glacier Bay and Juneau, including Cross Sound and Chatham Strait. High-resolution seismic-reflection profiles were acquired to assess evidence for act
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Selected geologic maps of the Kodiak batholith and other Paleocene intrusive rocks, Kodiak Island, Alaska

Kodiak Island in southern Alaska is one of the premier examples globally for the study of forearc magmatism. This location contains two Paleocene intrusive belts that formed due to the subduction of a migrating spreading ridge and slab-window: the Kodiak batholith and the trenchward magmatic belt. These magmatic rocks are part of the Sanak-Baranof belt, which extends for greater than 2,100 km alon
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Alaska Science Center

Geologic Map of Baranof Island, southeastern Alaska

This map updates the geology of Baranof Island based on fieldwork, petrographic analyses, paleontologic ages, and isotopic ages. These new data provide constraints on depositional and metamorphic ages of lithostratigraphic rock units and the timing of structures that separate them. Kinematic analyses and thermobarometric calculations provide insights on the regional tectonic processes that affecte
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Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center

Geologic map of the Cook Inlet region, Alaska, including parts of the Talkeetna, Talkeetna Mountains, Tyonek, Anchorage, Lake Clark, Kenai, Seward, Iliamna, Seldovia, Mount Katmai, and Afognak 1:250,000-scale quadrangles

In 1976, L.B. Magoon, W.L. Adkinson, and R.M. Egbert published a major geologic map of the Cook Inlet region, which has served well as a compilation of existing information and a guide for future research and mapping. The map in this report updates Magoon and others (1976) and incorporates new and additional mapping and interpretation. This map is also a revision of areas of overlap with the geolo
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Ecosystems, Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center

Lidar-revised geologic map of the Wildcat Lake 7.5' quadrangle, Kitsap and Mason Counties, Washington

This map is an interpretation of a 6-ft-resolution (2-m-resolution) lidar (light detection and ranging) digital elevation model combined with the geology depicted on the Geologic Map of the Wildcat Lake 7.5' quadrangle, Kitsap and Mason Counties, Washington (Haeussler and Clark, 2000). Haeussler and Clark described, interpreted, and located the geology on the 1:24,000-scale topographic map of the
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Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Lidar-revised geologic map of the Uncas 7.5' quadrangle, Clallam and Jefferson Counties, Washington

In 2000 and 2001, the Puget Sound Lidar Consortium obtained 1 pulse/m2 lidar data for about 65 percent of the Uncas 7.5' quadrangle. For a brief description of LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) and this data acquisition program, see Haugerud and others (2003). This map combines geologic interpretation (mostly by Haugerud and Tabor) of the 6-ft (2-m) lidar-derived digital elevation model (DEM) wi
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Filter Total Items: 136

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–elevation pa
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Alaska Science Center

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 6–8 km/m.y. exhumation rates that increases in age away
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Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Alaska Science Center

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 of the Fare
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Alaska Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

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 William Sound
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Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Alaska Science Center

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 deployed of
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Alaska Science Center

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 with sources
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Submarine landslide kinematics derived from high-resolution imaging in Port Valdez, Alaska

Submarine landslides caused by strong ground shaking during the M9.2 1964 Great Alaska earthquake generated a tsunami that destroyed much of the old town of Valdez, Alaska, and was responsible for 32 deaths at that location. We explore structural details of the 1964 landslide deposit, as well as landslide deposits from earlier events, in order to characterize kinematics of the landslide process. W
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Alaska Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Evidence for large Holocene earthquakes along the Denali fault in southwest Yukon, Canada

The Yukon–Alaska Highway corridor in southern Yukon is subject to geohazards ranging from landslides to floods and earthquakes on faults in the St. Elias Mountains and Shakwak Valley. Here we discuss the late Holocene seismic history of the Denali fault, located at the eastern front of the St. Elias Mountains and one of only a few known seismically active terrestrial faults in Canada. Holocene fau
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Alaska Science Center

Sediment sources and transport by the Kahiltna Glacier and other catchments along the south side of the Alaska Range, Alaska

Erosion related to glacial activity produces enormous amounts of sediment. However, sediment mobilization in glacial systems is extremely complex. Sediment is derived from headwalls, slopes along the margins of glaciers, and basal erosion; however, the rates and relative contributions of each are unknown. To test and quantify conceptual models for sediment generation and transport in a simple vall
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Alaska Science Center

Turbidite stratigraphy in proglacial lakes: Deciphering trigger mechanisms using a statistical approach

Turbidites embedded in lacustrine sediment sequences are commonly used to reconstruct regional flood or earthquake histories. A critical step for this method to be successful is that turbidites and their trigger mechanisms are determined unambiguously. The latter is particularly challenging for prehistoric proglacial lake records in high‐seismicity settings where both earthquake‐generated and floo
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Alaska Science Center

The sedimentary record of the 2018 Anchorage Earthquake in Eklutna Lake, Alaska: Calibrating the lacustrine seismograph

The 30 November 2018 Mw 7.1 Anchorage earthquake caused modified Mercalli intensities of V¼ to V½ at Eklutna Lake (south central Alaska). A few hours after the earthquake, a “dirt streak” was observed on the lake surface, followed by a peak in sediment turbidity values (⁠∼80 times normal) at a drinking water facility, which receives water from the lake through a pipe. These observations hint towar
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Alaska Science Center

Plate boundary localization, slip-rates and rupture segmentation of the Queen Charlotte Fault based on submarine tectonic geomorphology

Linking fault behavior over many earthquake cycles to individual earthquake behavior is a primary goal in tectonic geomorphology, particularly across an entire plate boundary. Here, we examine the 1150-km-long, right-lateral Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system using comprehensive multibeam bathymetry data acquired along the Queen Charlotte Fault (QCF) offshore southeastern Alaska and western
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Alaska Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Multi-Sensor Core Logger Laboratory

3D Focal Mechanisms

3D Focal Mechanisms is a tool for viewing earthquake focal mechanism symbols three dimensionally.

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Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards
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Study of Alaskan Landslide Could Improve Tsunami Modeling

A rare submarine landslide provides researchers with a reference point for modeling the biggest tsunamis. (EOS article)

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Scientists complete mission to map fast-moving fault off Alaska: Data will help coastal communities prepare for risks from earthquakes and tsunamis

Researchers from NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey and their partners have completed the first high-resolution, comprehensive mapping of one of the fastest...

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Expedition along a Hazardous, Fast-Moving Fault off Southeast Alaska—the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault

USGS scientists hope to learn more about the earthquake hazards that this large, fast-moving fault poses to communities and tourists in Alaska and...

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