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
Quaternary uplift history of Wingham Island, south-central Alaska
Surface rupture map of the 2002 M7.9 Denali fault earthquake, Alaska: Digital data
Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, 2007
Numerical study of tsunami generated by multiple submarine slope failures in Resurrection Bay, Alaska, during the MW 9.2 1964 earthquake
The role of ridge subduction in determining the geochemistry and Nd–Sr–Pb isotopic evolution of the Kodiak batholith in southern Alaska
Combined high-resolution LIDAR topography and multibeam bathymetry for northern Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska
Neogene exhumation of the Tordrillo Mountains, Alaska, and correlations with Denali (Mount McKinley)
Geological and geophysical evaluation of the mechanisms of the great 1899 Yakutat Bay earthquakes
Paleoseismicity and neotectonics of the Aleutian subduction zone — An overview
Toward a time-dependent probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for Alaska
Does a boundary of the Wrangell Block extend through southern Cook Inlet and Shelikof Strait, Alaska?
3D Visualization of Earthquake Focal Mechanisms Using ArcScene
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 146
Quaternary uplift history of Wingham Island, south-central Alaska
Marine terraces cut into Pleistocene deposits on Wingham Island in the Gulf of Alaska provide new constraints on the position of sea level, ice thickness and total glacioisostatic rebound at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. A radiocarbon age of 13.9 +- 0.15 ka on the most prominent terrace is coincident with the end of meltwater pulse 1A, possibly suggestive of a link between changes in relatiAuthorsJames B. Chapman, Peter J. Haeussler, Terry L. PavlisSurface rupture map of the 2002 M7.9 Denali fault earthquake, Alaska: Digital data
The November 3, 2002, Mw7.9 Denali Fault earthquake produced about 340 km of surface rupture along the Susitna Glacier Thrust Fault and the right-lateral, strike-slip Denali and Totschunda Faults. Digital photogrammetric methods were primarily used to create a 1:500-scale, three-dimensional surface rupture map, and 1:6,000-scale aerial photographs were used for three-dimensional digitization in ESAuthorsPeter J. HaeusslerStudies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, 2007
The collection of papers that follow continues the series of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigative reports in Alaska under the broad umbrella of the geologic sciences. This series represents new and sometimes-preliminary findings that are of interest to Earth scientists in academia, government, and industry; to land and resource managers; and to the general public. The reports presented in SAuthorsPeter J. Haeussler, John P. GallowayNumerical study of tsunami generated by multiple submarine slope failures in Resurrection Bay, Alaska, during the MW 9.2 1964 earthquake
We use a viscous slide model of Jiang and LeBlond (1994) coupled with nonlinear shallow water equations to study tsunami waves in Resurrection Bay, in south-central Alaska. The town of Seward, located at the head of Resurrection Bay, was hit hard by both tectonic and local landslide-generated tsunami waves during the MW 9.2 1964 earthquake with an epicenter located about 150 km northeast of SewardAuthorsE. Suleimani, R. Hansen, Peter J. HaeusslerThe role of ridge subduction in determining the geochemistry and Nd–Sr–Pb isotopic evolution of the Kodiak batholith in southern Alaska
The Paleocene Kodiak batholith, part of the Sanak–Baranof belt of Tertiary near-trench intrusive rocks, forms an elongate body (~ 150 km long) that transects Kodiak Island from SW to NE. The batholith consists of three zones (Southern, Central, and Northern) of kyanite-, muscovite-, and garnet-bearing biotite tonalite and granodiorite and less abundant granite that intruded an accretionary prism (AuthorsRobert A. Ayuso, Peter J. Haeussler, Dwight C. Bradley, David W. Farris, Nora K. Foley, Gregory A. WandlessCombined high-resolution LIDAR topography and multibeam bathymetry for northern Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska
A new Digital Elevation Model was created using the best available high-resolution topography and multibeam bathymetry surrounding the area of Seward, Alaska. Datasets of (1) LIDAR topography collected for the Kenai Watershed Forum, (2) Seward harbor soundings from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, and (3) multibeam bathymetry from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration contributed toAuthorsKeith A. Labay, Peter J. HaeusslerNeogene exhumation of the Tordrillo Mountains, Alaska, and correlations with Denali (Mount McKinley)
No abstract available.AuthorsPeter J. Haeussler, Paul J O'Sullivan, Aaron L Berger, James A SpotilaGeological and geophysical evaluation of the mechanisms of the great 1899 Yakutat Bay earthquakes
We have used tectonic, geologic, and seismologic observations to reevaluate the mechanisms and seismotectonic significance of the two great (Mw = 8.1 and 8.2) September 1899 Yakutat Bay earthquakes. In their comprehensive study of these earthquakes between 1905 and 1910, Tarr and Martin (1912) showed that these events were accompanied by shoreline changes in Yakutat Bay that ranged from 14.4 m emeAuthorsGeorge Plafker, Wayne R. ThatcherPaleoseismicity and neotectonics of the Aleutian subduction zone — An overview
The Aleutian subduction zone is one of the most seismically active plate boundaries and the source of several of the world’s largest historic earthquakes. The structural architecture of the subduction zone varies considerably along its length. At the eastern end is a tectonically complex collision zone where the allochthonous Yakutat terrane is moving northwest into mainland Alaska. West of the coAuthorsGary A. Carver, George PlafkerToward a time-dependent probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for Alaska
We report on a time-dependent seismic hazard analysis for Alaska and the Aleutians to complement our recently completed time-independent map. Whereas the time-independent map treats all sources as statistically independent, the time-dependent analysis is based on calculations of the conditional probability of occurrence for the next 50 years by using a Brownian Passage Time model for the seismic sAuthorsOliver S. Boyd, Yuehua Zeng, Charles G. Bufe, Robert L. Wesson, Fred Pollitz, Jeanne L. HardebeckDoes a boundary of the Wrangell Block extend through southern Cook Inlet and Shelikof Strait, Alaska?
In southcentral Alaska, the boundaries of two different tectonic blocks extend southwestward from the Denali Fault toward Cook Inlet and Shelikof Strait. We use offshore multichannel seismic reflection data and oil-well stratigraphy to evaluate whether local geologic structures are compatible with boundaries of either tectonic block and with the relative motion expected across the block boundariesAuthorsMichael A. Fisher, Ray W. Sliter, Florence L. Wong3D Visualization of Earthquake Focal Mechanisms Using ArcScene
We created a new tool, 3D Focal Mechanisms (3DFM), for viewing earthquake focal mechanism symbols three dimensionally. This tool operates within the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI®) GIS software ArcScene® 9.x. The program requires as input a GIS point dataset of earthquake locations containing strike, dip, and rake values for a nodal plane of each earthquake. Other information, sucAuthorsKeith A. Labay, Peter J. Haeussler - Software
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