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
New approach to assessing age uncertainties – The 2300-year varve chronology from Eklutna Lake, Alaska (USA)
Submarine deposition of a subaerial landslide in Taan Fiord, Alaska
The 2015 landslide and tsunami in Taan Fiord, Alaska
Slope failure and mass transport processes along the Queen Charlotte Fault, southeastern Alaska
The Queen Charlotte Fault defines the Pacific–North America transform plate boundary in western Canada and southeastern Alaska for c. 900 km. The entire length of the fault is submerged along a continental margin dominated by Quaternary glacial processes, yet the geomorphology along the margin has never been systematically examined due to the absence of high-resolution seafloor mapping data. Hence
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Susitna Basin, southern Alaska, 2017
Deformation of the Pacific/North America plate boundary at Queen Charlotte Fault: The possible role of rheology
Strain partitioning in southeastern Alaska: Is the Chatham Strait Fault active?
Varve formation during the past three centuries in three large proglacial lakes in south-central Alaska
Neotectonics of interior Alaska and the late Quaternary slip rate along the Denali fault system
Eastern Denali Fault surface trace map, eastern Alaska and Yukon, Canada
Paleoseismic potential of sublacustrine landslide records in a high-seismicity setting (south-central Alaska)
The Peters Hills basin, a Neogene wedge-top basin on the Broad Pass thrust fault, south-central Alaska
Science and Products
New approach to assessing age uncertainties – The 2300-year varve chronology from Eklutna Lake, Alaska (USA)
Submarine deposition of a subaerial landslide in Taan Fiord, Alaska
The 2015 landslide and tsunami in Taan Fiord, Alaska
Slope failure and mass transport processes along the Queen Charlotte Fault, southeastern Alaska
The Queen Charlotte Fault defines the Pacific–North America transform plate boundary in western Canada and southeastern Alaska for c. 900 km. The entire length of the fault is submerged along a continental margin dominated by Quaternary glacial processes, yet the geomorphology along the margin has never been systematically examined due to the absence of high-resolution seafloor mapping data. Hence
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Susitna Basin, southern Alaska, 2017
Deformation of the Pacific/North America plate boundary at Queen Charlotte Fault: The possible role of rheology
Strain partitioning in southeastern Alaska: Is the Chatham Strait Fault active?
Varve formation during the past three centuries in three large proglacial lakes in south-central Alaska
Neotectonics of interior Alaska and the late Quaternary slip rate along the Denali fault system
Eastern Denali Fault surface trace map, eastern Alaska and Yukon, Canada
Paleoseismic potential of sublacustrine landslide records in a high-seismicity setting (south-central Alaska)
The Peters Hills basin, a Neogene wedge-top basin on the Broad Pass thrust fault, south-central Alaska
*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