Rufus D Catchings, PhD
Rufus Catchings is a seismologist working on
• Earthquake hazards
• Hydrogeology
• Regional imaging of resources
• Induced seismicity
Dr. Catchings’ scientific interests include seismic evaluation of the subsurface, particularly as it relates to earthquake and other hazards, groundwater and other resources, and tectonics. Catchings also develops seismic methodologies. He has conducted numerous studies and served as advisor for more than 60 local, state, federal, and international government agencies, and private organizations. He has served as research advisor for 15 M.S. and Ph.D. students. Catchings has more than 430 published works, including journal articles, reports, conference papers, and abstracts.
Dr. Catchings has been a Research Geophysicst at USGS since 1981. He served as Chief Scientist for the Earthquake Hazards Team, 2005–2008.
Awards
- Bromery Award, Geological Society of America, 2018
- Superior Service Award, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2000
- Special Act Award, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1990, 2006
- Fellow, Geological Society of America, 1997
Education
- Stanford University, PhD Geophysics, 1987
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, MS Geophysics, 1983
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Geophysics, 1980
- Appalachian State University, BS Geophysics, 1979
External Research Database
ResearchGate
Science and Products
Fine-scale delineation of the location of and relative ground shaking within the San Andreas Fault zone at San Andreas Lake, San Mateo County, California
The source, discharge, and chemical characteristics of water from Agua Caliente Spring, Palm Springs, California
Detailed p- and s-wave velocity models along the LARSE II transect, Southern California
Reply to “Comment on ‘Near-surface location, geometry, and velocities of the Santa Monica fault zone, Los Angeles, California’ by R. D. Catchings, G. Gandhok, M. R. Goldman, D. Okaya, M. J. Rymer, and G. W. Bawden” by T. L. Pratt and J. F. Dolan
San Andreas fault geometry at Desert Hot Springs, California, and its effects on earthquake hazards and groundwater
High-resolution seismic-reflection images across the ICDP-USGS Eyreville deep drilling site, Chesapeake Bay impact structure
High-resolution seismic-reflection images across the ICDP-USGS Eyreville deep drilling site, Chesapeake Bay impact structure
High-resolution seismic images and seismic velocities of the San Andreas fault zone at Burro Flats, Southern California
Structure of the San Bernardino Basin along two seismic transects: Rialto-Colton Fault to the San Andreas Fault and along the I-215 Freeway (I-10 to SR30)
Anatomy of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure revealed by seismic imaging, Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia, USA
Near-surface location, geometry, and velocities of the Santa Monica Fault Zone, Los Angeles, California
Q for P waves in the sediments of the Virginia Coastal Plain
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
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Fine-scale delineation of the location of and relative ground shaking within the San Andreas Fault zone at San Andreas Lake, San Mateo County, California
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is seismically retrofitting the water delivery system at San Andreas Lake, San Mateo County, California, where the reservoir intake system crosses the San Andreas Fault (SAF). The near-surface fault location and geometry are important considerations in the retrofit effort. Because the SAF trends through highly distorted Franciscan mélange and beneath mAuthorsR. D. Catchings, M. J. Rymer, M. R. Goldman, C. S. Prentice, R.R. SicklerThe source, discharge, and chemical characteristics of water from Agua Caliente Spring, Palm Springs, California
Agua Caliente Spring, in downtown Palm Springs, California, has been used for recreation and medicinal therapy for hundreds of years and currently (2008) is the source of hot water for the Spa Resort owned by the Agua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla Indians. The Agua Caliente Spring is located about 1,500 feet east of the eastern front of the San Jacinto Mountains on the southeast-sloping alluvial pAuthorsJustin Brandt, Rufus D. Catchings, Allen H. Christensen, Alan L. Flint, Gini Gandhok, Mark R. Goldman, Keith J. Halford, Victoria E. Langenheim, Peter Martin, Michael J. Rymer, Roy A. Schroeder, Gregory A. Smith, Michelle SneedDetailed p- and s-wave velocity models along the LARSE II transect, Southern California
Structural details of the crust determined from P-wave velocity models can be improved with S-wave velocity models, and S-wave velocities are needed for model-based predictions of strong ground motion in southern California. We picked P- and S-wave travel times for refracted phases from explosive-source shots of the Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment, Phase II (LARSE II); we developed refractioAuthorsJ.M. Murphy, G. S. Fuis, T. Ryberg, W. J. Lutter, R. D. Catchings, M. R. GoldmanReply to “Comment on ‘Near-surface location, geometry, and velocities of the Santa Monica fault zone, Los Angeles, California’ by R. D. Catchings, G. Gandhok, M. R. Goldman, D. Okaya, M. J. Rymer, and G. W. Bawden” by T. L. Pratt and J. F. Dolan
In a comment on our 2008 paper (Catchings, Gandhok, et al., 2008) on the Santa Monica fault in Los Angeles, California, Pratt and Dolan (2010) (herein referred to as P&D) cite numerous objections to our work, inferring that our study is flawed. However, as shown in our reply, their objections contradict their own published works, published works of others, and proven seismic methodologies. RatherAuthorsRufus D. Catchings, Michael J. Rymer, Mark R. Goldman, Gerald W. BawdenSan Andreas fault geometry at Desert Hot Springs, California, and its effects on earthquake hazards and groundwater
The Mission Creek and Banning faults are two of the principal strands of the San Andreas fault zone in the northern Coachella Valley of southern California. Structural characteristics of the faults affect both regional earthquake hazards and local groundwater resources. We use seismic, gravity, and geological data to characterize the San Andreas fault zone in the vicinity of Desert Hot Springs. SeAuthorsR. D. Catchings, M. J. Rymer, M. R. Goldman, G. GandhokHigh-resolution seismic-reflection images across the ICDP-USGS Eyreville deep drilling site, Chesapeake Bay impact structure
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) acquired two 1.4-km-long, high-resolution (~5 m vertical resolution) seismic-reflection lines in 2006 that cross near the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)–USGS Eyreville deep drilling site located above the late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure in Virginia, USA. Five-meter spacing of seismic sources and geophones produced high-resAuthorsDavid S. Powars, Rufus D. Catchings, Mark R. Goldman, Gregory Gohn, J. Wright Horton,, Lucy E. Edwards, Michael J. Rymer, G. GandhokHigh-resolution seismic-reflection images across the ICDP-USGS Eyreville deep drilling site, Chesapeake Bay impact structure
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) acquired two 1.4-km-long, high-resolution (~5 m vertical resolution) seismic-reflection lines in 2006 that cross near the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)-USGS Eyreville deep drilling site located above the late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure in Virginia, USA. Five-meter spacing of seismic sources and geophones produced high-resAuthorsDavid S. Powars, Rufus D. Catchings, Mark R. Goldman, Gregory S. Gohn, J. Wright Horton, Lucy E. Edwards, Michael J. Rymer, Gini GandhokHigh-resolution seismic images and seismic velocities of the San Andreas fault zone at Burro Flats, Southern California
To better understand the structure of the San Andreas fault (SAF) at Burro Flats in southern California, we acquired a three-dimensional combined set of seismic reflection and refraction profiles centered on the main active trace at Burro Flats. In this article, we discuss the variation in shallow-depth velocities along each seismic profile, with special emphasis on the 1500 m/sec P-wave velocityAuthorsC. C. Tsai, Rufus D. Catchings, Mark R. Goldman, Michael J. Rymer, P. Schnurle, H. W. ChenStructure of the San Bernardino Basin along two seismic transects: Rialto-Colton Fault to the San Andreas Fault and along the I-215 Freeway (I-10 to SR30)
In this report, we present seismic data and acquisition parameters for two seismic profiles acquired in the San Bernardino, California area in May and October 2003. We refer to these seismic profiles as the San Bernardino Regional (SBR) and San Bernardino High-Resolution (SBHR) seismic profiles. We present both un-interpreted and interpreted seismic images so that the structure of the area can indAuthorsR. D. Catchings, M. J. Rymer, M. R. Goldman, G. Gandhok, C. E. SteedmanAnatomy of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure revealed by seismic imaging, Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia, USA
A 30-km-long, radial seismic reflection and refraction survey completed across the northern part of the late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure (CBIS) on the Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia, USA, confirms that the CBIS is a complex central-peak crater. We used a tomographic P wave velocity model and low-fold reflection images, constrained by data from two deep boreholes located on the profile, toAuthorsR. D. Catchings, D.S. Powars, G. S. Gohn, J. Wright Horton, M. R. Goldman, J.A. HoleNear-surface location, geometry, and velocities of the Santa Monica Fault Zone, Los Angeles, California
High-resolution seismic-reflection and seismic-refraction imaging, combined with existing borehole, earthquake, and paleoseismic trenching data, suggest that the Santa Monica fault zone in Los Angeles consists of multiple strands from several kilometers depth to the near surface. We interpret our seismic data as showing two shallow-depth low-angle fault strands and multiple near-vertical (???85??)AuthorsR. D. Catchings, G. Gandhok, M. R. Goldman, D. Okaya, M. J. Rymer, G.W. BawdenQ for P waves in the sediments of the Virginia Coastal Plain
The seismic quality factor Q for P waves in Atlantic Coastal Plain sediments is estimated using data from the 2004 U.S. Geological Survey seismic survey in eastern Virginia. The estimates are based on spectral ratios derived from reflections and sediment-guided P waves in Late Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments within the annular trough of the Late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure. The estimaAuthorsM.C. Chapman, J.N. Beale, R. D. CatchingsNon-USGS Publications**
Catchings, R.D., and Mooney, W.D., 1988, Crustal structure of the Columbia Plateau: Evidence for continental rifting: Journal of Geophysical Research , v. 93, p. 459–474, doi.org/10.1029/JB093iB01p00459.Catchings, R., Jarchow, C., Holbrook, S., Benz, H., Hawman, R., Thompson, G., Mooney, W., Smith, R., Priestley, K., Cipar, J., Borcherdt, R., Whitman, D., Smithson, S., Walker, D., Johnson, R., Karl, J., Jefferson, T., Clement, B., Dietel, C., Wu, F., and Harder, S., 1988, The 1986 PASSCAL Basin and Range Lithospheric Seismic Experiment, Eos Trans. AGU, 69( 20), 593– 598, doi:10.1029/88EO00174.Zucca, J.J., Fuis, G.S., Milkereit, B., Mooney, W.D., and Catchings, R.D., 1986, Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 91, p. 7859-7382, doi.org/10.1029/JB091iB07p07359.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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