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Staff Profiles

Sylvia R. Nicovich

Research Geologist

Earthquake Hazards Program

snicovich@usgs.gov

0000-0003-4280-4034

Sylvia Nicovich is a Mendenhall Fellow in the Geologic Hazards Science Center.

Education and Certifications

PhD Earth Sciences, Montana State University, 2020
MSc Geology, Cal Poly Humboldt, 2015
BS Geology, Cal Poly Humboldt, 2011

Science and Products

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November 19, 2024

Sediment core data from Henrys Lake, Idaho

This data release includes measurements of properties from sedimentary cores collected from Henrys Lake in Idaho. We present a CSV with basic information about the cores (e.g., length, collection location, water depth), and three CSVs with the fallout radionuclide (FRN), particle size analysis (PSA), and radiocarbon (RC) data. It also has three child items with x-ray computed tomography...

Volcano Science Center

August 6, 2024

Earthquake geology inputs for the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) 2025 (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands), version 1.0

This Data Release contains preliminary versions of three related geologic input databases for the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands (PRVI) region (62°–70° W and 16°–21° N) of the United States: 1) A fault sections database (“NSHM2025_FaultSections_PRVI_v1’”), which depicts the geometry of faults capable of hosting independent earthquakes, 2) a fault-zone polygon database ("NSHM2025...

Geologic Hazards Science Center

May 8, 2023

Data Release for Luminescence: Construction and modification of debris-flow alluvial fans as captured in the geomorphic and sedimentary record: examples from the western Sangre de Cristo Mountains, south-central Colorado

The following report summarizes the dating results from the San Luis Valley-Pioneer Fan 2017-2019 dating project. Within this report, we detail the methodology used by the USGS Luminescence Geochronology Laboratory to obtain ages including sample preparation methods, luminescence measurement, equivalent dose determination, and dating-related calculations. We recommend that this report be...

Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Luminescence Dating Laboratory

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January 17, 2025

Evidence for nonlocal sediment transport on hillslopes from fault scarp morphology

Hillslope sediment transport processes such as bioturbation, rainsplash, and granular mechanics occur across the entire planet. Yet, it remains uncertain how these small-scale processes act together to shape landscapes. Longstanding hillslope diffusion theory posits that hillslope processes are spatially limited, whereas new concepts of nonlocal sediment transport argue otherwise...

Authors

Harrison J. Gray, Tyler Doane, Sylvia R. Nicovich, Christopher DuRoss, Ryan D. Gold

Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Luminescence Dating Laboratory

November 15, 2024

Shallow lake, strong shake: Record of seismically triggered lacustrine sedimentation from the 1959 M7.3 Hebgen Lake earthquake within Henrys Lake, Idaho

We investigate a shallow lake basin for evidence of a large historic intraplate earthquake in western North America. Henrys Lake, Idaho is an atypical candidate for a lacustrine paleoseismic study given its shallow depth (~7 m) and low relief (≤2° slopes). Here, we test the earthquake-recording capacity of this basin type by showing sedimentological evidence of the 1959 M7.3 Hebgen Lake...

Authors

Sylvia R. Nicovich, Christopher DuRoss, Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, Jessica R. Rodysill, Richard W. Briggs, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Madeleine Mai-Lynh Tan, Yann Gavillot, Noah Silas Lindberg, Laura E. Strickland, Jason Scott Padgett

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

October 25, 2023

Construction and modification of debris-flow alluvial fans as captured in the geomorphic and sedimentary record: Examples from the western Sangre de Cristo Mountains, south-central Colorado

Debris-flow alluvial fans are iconic features of dynamic landscapes and are hypothesized to record tectonic and climatic change. Here, we highlight their complex formation and evolution through an exemplary suite of Quaternary debris-flow alluvial fans emanating from the western range front of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in south-central Colorado, USA. To evaluate the constructive and...

Authors

Sylvia Nicovich, James Schmitt, Harrison J. Gray, Ralph E. Klinger, Shannon A. Mahan

Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Luminescence Dating Laboratory

June 1, 2022

Luminescence sediment tracing reveals the complex dynamics of colluvial wedge formation

Paleoearthquake studies that inform seismic hazard rely on assumptions of sediment transport that remain largely untested. Here, we test a widespread conceptual model and a new numerical model on the formation of colluvial wedges, a key deposit used to constrain the timing of paleoearthquakes. We perform this test by applying luminescence, a sunlight-sensitive sediment tracer, at a field...

Authors

Harrison J. Gray, Christopher DuRoss, Sylvia Nicovich, Ryan D. Gold

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

April 4, 2022

A geomorphic-process-based cellular automata model of colluvial wedge morphology and stratigraphy

The development of colluvial wedges at the base of fault scarps following normal-faulting earthquakes serves as a sedimentary record of paleoearthquakes and is thus crucial in assessing seismic hazard. Although there is a large body of observations of colluvial wedge development, connecting this knowledge to the physics of sediment transport can open new frontiers in our understanding...

Authors

Harrison J. Gray, Christopher DuRoss, Sylvia Nicovich, Ryan D. Gold

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

February 16, 2022

How similar was the 1983 Mw 6.9 Borah Peak earthquake rupture to its surface-faulting predecessors along the northern Lost River fault zone (Idaho, USA)?

We excavated trenches at two paleoseismic sites bounding a trans-basin bedrock ridge (the Willow Creek Hills) along the northern Lost River fault zone to explore the uniqueness of the 1983 Mw 6.9 Borah Peak earthquake compared to its prehistoric predecessors. At the Sheep Creek site on the southernmost Warm Springs section, two earthquakes occurred at 9.8−14.0 ka (95% confidence) and 6.5...

Authors

Christopher DuRoss, Richard W. Briggs, Ryan D. Gold, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Austin John Elliott, Jaime Delano, Ivan Medina-Cascales, Harrison J. Gray, Shannon A. Mahan, Sylvia Nicovich, Zachery Lifton, Emily J. Kleber, Greg N. McDonald, Adam Hiscock, Mike Bunds, Nadine G. Reitman

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geologic Hazards Science Center

January 11, 2022

Portable optically stimulated luminescence age map of a paleoseismic exposure

The quality and quantity of geochronologic data used to constrain the history of major earthquakes in a region exerts a first-order control on the accuracy of seismic hazard assessments that affect millions of people. However, evaluations of geochronological data are limited by uncertainties related to inherently complex depositional processes that may vary spatially and temporally. To...

Authors

Christopher DuRoss, Ryan D. Gold, Harrison J. Gray, Sylvia R. Nicovich

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Luminescence Dating Laboratory

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Photo and cartoon of 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake deposit in Henrys Lake (ID) sediment core, along with Cesium-137 levels

December 31, 2024

Photo and cartoon of 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake deposit in Henrys Lake (ID) sediment core, along with Cesium-137 levels

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Photo and cartoon of 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake deposit in Henrys Lake (ID) sediment core, along with Cesium-137 levels

Photo and cartoon of 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake deposit in sediment core from Henrys Lake, Idaho, with references to Cesium-137 activity (or concentration). Changes in Cesium-137 are related to atmospheric nuclear tests and provide a means of dating the deposit; those measurements are plotted on the right with depth (in cm) of the core.

Volcano Science Center, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, Yellowstone

December 31, 2024