Ryan D Gold, Ph.D.
Ryan Gold is the Director of the Geologic Hazards Science Center (GHSC) of the USGS.
In this position, he oversees GHSC’s efforts focused on earthquake, landslide, and geomagnetic hazards research and monitoring. Gold joined the USGS in 2009 after receiving a doctoral degree in geology from the University of California, Davis and a bachelor’s degree from Whitman College. He joined the USGS as a Mendenhall post-doctoral scholar and was hired permanently in 2011 as a Research Geologist within the Earthquake Geology Project at GHSC.
Gold’s research background focuses on active tectonics and natural hazards, with an emphasis on long-standing problems related to 1) earthquake recurrence and magnitude, 2) fault slip rate, and 3) patterns of surface displacement associated with modern earthquakes by applying a combination of field-based methods (e.g., paleoseismic trenching, neotectonic mapping) and remote sensing (e.g., lidar, satellite imagery, etc.). He has conducted field-based and remotely sensed earthquake studies across the United States, the Caribbean, the Indo-Asia Collision, central Europe, Pakistan, and Australia. He has played a key role in USGS field-based response to significant earthquakes, including the 2010 Haiti, 2013 Balochistan (Pakistan), and 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. Gold has more than 60 publications in the areas of neotectonics, Quaternary geochronology, seismic imaging, and natural hazards.
Professional Experience
2021-present Director, Geologic Hazards Science Center, USGS
2011-2021 Research Geologist, USGS
2009-2011 Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research Fellow, USGS
Education and Certifications
Ryan Gold (Ph.D., University of California, Davis 2009)
Science and Products
Quaternary reelfoot fault deformation in the Obion River Valley, Tennessee, USA
Quick and dirty (and accurate) 3-D paleoseismic trench models using coded scale bars
Preface to the Focus Section on the 2020 Intermountain West earthquakes
Coseismic surface displacement in the 2019 ridgecrest earthquakes: Comparison of field measurements and optical image correlation results
Holocene paleoseismology of the Steamboat Mountain Site: Evidence for full‐Llngth rupture of the Teton Fault, Wyoming
Localized fault-zone dilatancy and surface inelasticity of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes
Seismic reflection imaging of the low-angle Panamint normal fault system, eastern California
Documentation of Surface Fault Rupture and Ground‐Deformation Features Produced by the 4 and 5 July 2019 Mw 6.4 and Mw 7.1 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence
Evidence of previous faulting along the 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake ruptures
Surface displacement distributions for the July 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake ruptures
Evidence for late Quaternary deformation along Crowley's Ridge, New Madrid seismic zone
Offset channels may not accurately record strike-slip fault displacement: Evidence from landscape evolution models
Earthquake geology inputs for the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) 2023, version 1.0
Seismic reflection imaging of the low-angle Panamint normal fault system, eastern California, 2018
Digital datasets documenting subsurface data locations, topographic metrics, fault scarp mapping, and revised fault network for Crowley's Ridge, New Madrid Seismic Zone
Surface Displacement Observations of the 2019 Ridgecrest, California Earthquake Sequence
Pre-existing features associated with active faulting in the vicinity of the 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake sequence
2016 Mw 6.0 Petermann Ranges earthquake, Australia: Pre- and post-earthquake digital elevation models
An updated stress map of the continental U.S. reveals heterogeneous intraplate stress
Digital Surface Models for the northern 16 km of the 1983 Borah Peak earthquake rupture, northern Lost River fault zone (Idaho, USA)
Data Set S1 for "Coseismic Sackungen in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, USA"
Main Terrace vertical offset data for the Lower Rhine Graben, central Europe - Data Release
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 54
Quaternary reelfoot fault deformation in the Obion River Valley, Tennessee, USA
Blind reverse faults are challenging to detect, and earthquake records can be elusive because deep fault slip does not break the surface along readily recognized scarps. The blind Reelfoot fault in the New Madrid seismic zone in the central United States has been the subject of extensive prior investigation; however, the extent of slip at the southern portion of the fault remains unconstrained. InAuthorsJaime Delano, Richard W. Briggs, Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, Ryan D. Gold, Simon E. EngelhartQuick and dirty (and accurate) 3-D paleoseismic trench models using coded scale bars
Structure‐from‐motion (SfM) modeling has dramatically increased the speed of generating geometrically accurate orthophoto mosaics of paleoseismic trenches, but some aspects of this technique remain time and labor intensive. Model accuracy relies on control points to establish scale, reduce distortion, and orient 3D models. Traditional SfM methods use total station or Global Navigation Satellite SyAuthorsJaime Delano, Richard W. Briggs, Christopher DuRoss, Ryan D. GoldPreface to the Focus Section on the 2020 Intermountain West earthquakes
The Intermountain West region of the United States extends from the eastern margin of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains in the west to the Rocky Mountains in the east. The region is characterized by dextral shear along the eastern margin of the Sierra Nevada and nearly east-west extension in the Basin and Range. This region experienced four significant earthquake sequences in the first halfAuthorsRyan D. Gold, Jayne Bormann, Keith D. KoperCoseismic surface displacement in the 2019 ridgecrest earthquakes: Comparison of field measurements and optical image correlation results
A fundamental topic in earthquake studies is understanding the extent to which fault rupture at the surface is localized on primary fault strands as opposed to distributed tens to hundreds of meters away from primary ruptures through off‐fault deformation (OFD) via a combination of discrete secondary faulting and bulk deformation. The 2019 Ridgecrest, CA Mw6.4 and Mw7.1 earthquakes provide an oppoAuthorsRyan D. Gold, Christopher DuRoss, William D. BarnhartHolocene paleoseismology of the Steamboat Mountain Site: Evidence for full‐Llngth rupture of the Teton Fault, Wyoming
The 72‐km‐long Teton fault in northwestern Wyoming is an ideal candidate for reconstructing the lateral extent of surface‐rupturing earthquakes and testing models of normal‐fault segmentation. To explore the history of earthquakes on the northern Teton fault, we hand‐excavated two trenches at the Steamboat Mountain site, where the east‐dipping Teton fault has vertically displaced west‐sloping alluAuthorsChristopher DuRoss, Mark S. Zellman, Glenn D. Thackray, Richard W. Briggs, Ryan D. Gold, Shannon A. MahanLocalized fault-zone dilatancy and surface inelasticity of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes
Earthquakes produce a spectrum of elastic and inelastic deformation processes that are reflected across various length and time scales. While elasticity has long dominated research assumptions in active tectonics, increasing interest has focused on the inelastic characteristics of earthquakes, particularly those of the surface fault rupture zone itself, and how they relate to ground rupture hazardAuthorsWilliam D. Barnhart, Ryan D. Gold, James HollingsworthSeismic reflection imaging of the low-angle Panamint normal fault system, eastern California
Shallowly dipping (<30°) low‐angle normal faults (LANFs) have been documented globally; however, examples of active LANFs in continental settings are limited. The western margin of the Panamint Range in eastern California is defined by a LANF that dips west beneath Panamint Valley and has evidence of Quaternary motion. In addition, high‐angle dextral‐oblique normal faults displace middle to late QAuthorsRyan D. Gold, William J. Stephenson, Richard W. Briggs, Christopher DuRoss, Eric Kirby, Edward W Woolery, Jaime Delano, Jackson K. OdumDocumentation of Surface Fault Rupture and Ground‐Deformation Features Produced by the 4 and 5 July 2019 Mw 6.4 and Mw 7.1 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence
The MwMw 6.4 and MwMw 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence occurred on 4 and 5 July 2019 within the eastern California shear zone of southern California. Both events produced extensive surface faulting and ground deformation within Indian Wells Valley and Searles Valley. In the weeks following the earthquakes, more than six dozen scientists from government, academia, and the private sector carefullyAuthorsDaniel J. Ponti, James Luke Blair, Rosa Carla M, Kate Thomas, Alexandra Pickering, Sinan Akciz, Stephen J. Angster, Jean-Philipe Avouac, Jeffrey Bachhuber, Steven Bacon, Nicolas C. Barth, S. Bennett, Kelly Blake, Stephan Bork, Benjamin A. Brooks, Thomas Bullard, Paul A. Burgess, Colin Chupik, Timothy E. Dawson, Michael DeFrisco, Jaime E. Delano, Stephen B. DeLong, James D. Dolan, Andrea Donnellan, Christopher DuRoss, Todd Ericksen, Erik Frost, Gareth J. Funning, Ryan D. Gold, Nicholas A Graehl, Carlos Gutierrez, Elizabeth Haddon, Alexandra Elise Hatem, John Helms, Janis Hernandez, Christopher S. Hitchcock, Peter Holland, Kenneth W. Hudnut, Katherine J. Kendrick, Richard D Koehler, Ozgur Kozaci, Tyler C. Ladinsky, Robert Leeper, Christopher Madugo, Maxime Mareschal, James McDonald, Devin McPhillips, Christopher Milliner, Daniel Mongovin, Alexander Morelan, Stephanie Nale, Johanna Nevitt, Matt O'Neal, Brian J. Olsen, Michael Oskin, Salena Padilla, Jason Patton, Belle E. Philibosian, Ian Pierce, Cynthia Pridmore, Nathaniel Roth, David Sandwell, Katherine Scharer, Gordon G. Seitz, Drake Singleton, Bridget Smith-Konter, Eleanor Spangler, Brian J. Swanson, Jessica Thompson Jobe, Jerome Treiman, Francesca Valencia, Joshua Vanderwal, Alana Williams, Xiaohua Xu, Judith Zachariasen, Jade Zimmerman, Robert ZinkeEvidence of previous faulting along the 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake ruptures
The July 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence in southeastern California was characterized as surprising because only ~35% of the rupture occurred on previously mapped faults. Employing more detailed inspection of pre-event high-resolution topography and imagery in combination with field observations, we document evidence of active faulting in the landscape along the entire fault system. Scarps, deAuthorsJessica Thompson Jobe, Belle E. Philibosian, Colin Chupik, Timothy E. Dawson, Scott E. K. Bennett, Ryan D. Gold, Christopher DuRoss, Tyler C. Ladinsky, Katherine J. Kendrick, Elizabeth Haddon, Ian Pierce, Brian J. Swanson, Gordon G. SeitzSurface displacement distributions for the July 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake ruptures
Surface rupture in the 2019 Ridgecrest, California, earthquake sequence occurred along two orthogonal cross faults and includes dominantly left‐lateral and northeast‐striking rupture in the Mw 6.4 foreshock and dominantly right‐lateral and northwest‐striking rupture in the Mw 7.1 mainshock. We present >650 field‐based, surface‐displacement observations for these ruptures and synthesize our resultsAuthorsChristopher DuRoss, Ryan D. Gold, Timothy E. Dawson, Katherine Scharer, Katherine J. Kendrick, Sinan Akciz, Stephen J. Angster, Jeffery Bachhuber, Steven Bacon, Scott E. K. Bennett, Luke Blair, Benjamin A. Brooks, Thomas Bullard, W. Paul Burgess, Colin Chupik, Michael DeFrisco, Jaime Delano, James D. Dolan, Erik Frost, Nick Graehl, Elizabeth Haddon, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Janis Hernandez, Christopher S. Hitchcock, Kennth Hudnut, Jessica Thompson Jobe, Richard D Koehler, Ozgur Kozaci, Tyler C. Ladinsky, Christopher Madugo, Devin McPhillips, Christopher Milliner, Alexander Morelan, Brian Olson, Jason Patton, Belle E. Philibosian, Alexandra J. Pickering, Ian Pierce, Daniel J. Ponti, Gordon G. Seitz, Eleanor Spangler, Brian J. Swanson, Kate Thomas, Jerome Treiman, Francesca Valencia, Alana Williams, Robert ZinkeEvidence for late Quaternary deformation along Crowley's Ridge, New Madrid seismic zone
The New Madrid seismic zone has been the source of multiple major (M ~7.0–7.5) earthquakes in the past 2 ka, yet the surface expression of recent deformation remains ambiguous. Crowleys Ridge, a linear ridge trending north‐south for 300+ km through the Mississippi Embayment, has been interpreted as either a fault‐bounded uplift or a nontectonic erosional remnant. New and previously published seismAuthorsJessica Thompson Jobe, Ryan D. Gold, Richard W. Briggs, Robert Williams, William J. Stephenson, Jaime E. Delano, Anjana K. Shah, Burke J. MinsleyOffset channels may not accurately record strike-slip fault displacement: Evidence from landscape evolution models
Slip distribution, slip rate, and slip per event for strike‐slip faults are commonly determined by correlating offset stream channels—under the assumption that they record seismic slip—but offset channels are formed by the interplay of tectonic and geomorphic processes. To constrain offset channel development under known tectonic and geomorphic conditions, we use numerical landscape evolution simuAuthorsNadine G. Reitman, Karl J. Mueller, Gregory E. Tucker, Ryan D. Gold, Richard W. Briggs, Katherine R. Barnhart - Science
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Filter Total Items: 22
Earthquake geology inputs for the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) 2023, version 1.0
This Data Release contains preliminary versions of two related databases: 1) A fault sections database ("NSHM2023_FaultSections_v1"), which depicts the geometry of faults capable of hosting independent earthquakes, and 2) An earthquake geology site information database ("NSHM2023_EQGeoDB_v1"), which contains fault slip-rate constraints at points. These databases were prepared in anticipation of upSeismic reflection imaging of the low-angle Panamint normal fault system, eastern California, 2018
A fundamental question in seismic hazard analysis is whetherDigital datasets documenting subsurface data locations, topographic metrics, fault scarp mapping, and revised fault network for Crowley's Ridge, New Madrid Seismic Zone
This release provides the data and interpretations supporting evidence of late Quaternary faulting along Crowleys Ridge in the New Madrid seismic zone. The release includes location information for seismic reflection and airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data over Crowleys Ridge, a table of topographic metrics derived from analysis of the 10m National Elevation Dataset (NED) digital elevation model (Surface Displacement Observations of the 2019 Ridgecrest, California Earthquake Sequence
Surface rupture associated with the 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake sequence includes the dominantly left-lateral and northeast-striking M6.4 rupture and dominantly right-lateral and northwest-striking M7.1 rupture. This data release includes surface-displacement observations of these ruptures made by teams of federal, state, academic, and private sector geologists between July and NovemberPre-existing features associated with active faulting in the vicinity of the 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake sequence
This dataset is composed of linear active tectonic and other relevant features (scarps, deflected drainages, and lineaments and contrasts in topography, vegetation, and ground color) mapped based on high-resolution topography, aerial/satellite imagery, and field observations. The mapping covers the area surrounding the 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquake surface ruptures. Point locations of fie2016 Mw 6.0 Petermann Ranges earthquake, Australia: Pre- and post-earthquake digital elevation models
We generated digital elevation models (DEMs) using pre- and post-event in-track stereo 0.5 m resolution panchromatic Worldview 1 and 2 images (2019, DigitalGlobe) using the Surface Extraction from TIN-based Searchspace Minimization (SETSM) software [Noh and Howat, 2015] running on the University of Iowa Argon supercomputer (Table S1). The post-event DEMs exhibit along-track striping artifacts commAn updated stress map of the continental U.S. reveals heterogeneous intraplate stress
Earthquake focal mechanisms and stress inversion results for the conterminous United States.Digital Surface Models for the northern 16 km of the 1983 Borah Peak earthquake rupture, northern Lost River fault zone (Idaho, USA)
We present high-resolution (10-cm pixel) digital surface models (DSMs) generated for the northern 16 km of the surface rupture associated with the 1983 Mw 6.9 Borah Peak earthquake. These DSMs were generated using Agisoft Photoscan (and Metashape) image-based modeling software and low-altitude aerial photographs acquired from unmanned aircraft systems and a tethered balloon. DSM files consist of GData Set S1 for "Coseismic Sackungen in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, USA"
The New Madrid Seismic Zone presents significant seismic hazard to the central and eastern United States. We mapped newly-identified coseismic ridge-spreading features, or sackungen, in the bluffs east of the Mississippi River in western Tennessee. We use this mapping dataset in an accompanying manuscript to show that sackungen form during earthquakes on the Reelfoot fault and may fail in preferreMain Terrace vertical offset data for the Lower Rhine Graben, central Europe - Data Release
This data release includes vertical offset information for the regionally extensive Main Terrace in the Lower Rhine Graben in the border region between Germany, Beligum, and Netherlands. These data are used in an investigation exploring the temporal and spatial pattern of Quaternary fault slip rates in this region and are the subject of an investigation by Gold and others (in review at Bulletin of - Multimedia
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