Tom Parsons
I conduct research aimed at improving our ability to forecast hazardous events like earthquakes and tsunamis. Specifically, I study how earthquakes trigger others, how crustal movements cause earthquake stresses, and how to convert geologic observations of earthquake and tsunami processes into quantitative forecasts of use to planners, insurers, and builders.
Professional Experience
1994-Present: Research Geophysicist, U. S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
1992-1994: National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow
Education and Certifications
1992 – Ph.D. in Geophysics, Stanford University
1990 – M.S. in Geophysics, Stanford University
1988 – B.S. in Applied Geophysics, UCLA
Affiliations and Memberships*
Editor, AGU Advances, 2019-present
Editor in Chief, Journal of Geophysical Research, Solid Earth, 2009-2015
Editor in Chief, Tectonophysics, 2007-2009
Editorial Board, Tectonophysics, 2005-2007
Editorial Board, Geology, 1995-2000, 2005-2008
Member: Executive Committee, Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities 2005-present
Member: SCEC Planning Committee, 2007-2009
Honors and Awards
Senior Scientist (ST): 1/15
Fellow American Geophysical Union, Elected 1/12
Fulbright Mutual Educational Exchange Grant USA-Greece: 2007-2008
Alumni Pillar of Achievement: Golden West College Outstanding Alumni Award (10/07)
Fellow Geological Society of America, Elected 10/97
Shoemaker Communication Award (10/00)
National Association of Government Communicators Gold Screen Award (12/00)
National Research Council Post-Doctoral Fellow (8/92)
Science and Products
The predictive skills of elastic Coulomb rate-and-state aftershock forecasts during the 2019 Ridgecrest, California, earthquake sequence
Submarine landslide kinematics derived from high-resolution imaging in Port Valdez, Alaska
The role of seismic and slow slip events in triggering the 2018 M7.1 Anchorage earthquake in the Southcentral Alaska subduction zone
A new technique to calculate earthquake stress transfer and to forecast aftershocks
A combinatorial approach to determine earthquake magnitude distributions on a variable slip-rate fault
Characteristic earthquake magnitude frequency distributions on faults calculated from consensus data in California
Determining on-fault earthquake magnitude distributions from integer programming
Testing earthquake links in Mexico from 1978 up to the 2017 M=8.1 Chiapas and M=7.1 Puebla shocks
Probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis: Multiple sources and global applications
From coseismic offsets to fault-block mountains
A synoptic view of the Third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF3)
Nucleation speed limit on remote fluid induced earthquakes
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
The predictive skills of elastic Coulomb rate-and-state aftershock forecasts during the 2019 Ridgecrest, California, earthquake sequence
Submarine landslide kinematics derived from high-resolution imaging in Port Valdez, Alaska
The role of seismic and slow slip events in triggering the 2018 M7.1 Anchorage earthquake in the Southcentral Alaska subduction zone
A new technique to calculate earthquake stress transfer and to forecast aftershocks
A combinatorial approach to determine earthquake magnitude distributions on a variable slip-rate fault
Characteristic earthquake magnitude frequency distributions on faults calculated from consensus data in California
Determining on-fault earthquake magnitude distributions from integer programming
Testing earthquake links in Mexico from 1978 up to the 2017 M=8.1 Chiapas and M=7.1 Puebla shocks
Probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis: Multiple sources and global applications
From coseismic offsets to fault-block mountains
A synoptic view of the Third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF3)
Nucleation speed limit on remote fluid induced earthquakes
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.
*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