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
Seismic evidence for widespread serpentinized forearc upper mantle along the Cascadia margin
Structure and mechanics of the Hayward-Rodgers Creek Fault step-over, San Francisco Bay, California
Post-1906 stress recovery of the San Andreas fault system calculated from three-dimensional finite element analysis
Crustal structure of the coastal and marine San Francisco Bay region, California
Global Omori law decay of triggered earthquakes: Large aftershocks outside the classical aftershock zone
Nearly frictionless faulting by unclamping in long-term interaction models
Very different crustal response to extreme extension in the southern Basin and Range and Colorado Plateau transition
A simple algorithm for sequentially incorporating gravity observations in seismic traveltime tomography
Static-stress impact of the 1992 Landers earthquake sequence on nucleation and slip at the site of the 1999 M=7.1 Hector Mine earthquake, southern California
Three-dimensional seismic velocity structure of the San Francisco Bay area
Heightened odds of large earthquakes near Istanbul: an interaction-based probability calculation
Wide-angle seismic recordings from the 1998 Seismic Hazards Investigation of Puget Sound (SHIPS), western Washington and British Columbia
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
Seismic evidence for widespread serpentinized forearc upper mantle along the Cascadia margin
Structure and mechanics of the Hayward-Rodgers Creek Fault step-over, San Francisco Bay, California
Post-1906 stress recovery of the San Andreas fault system calculated from three-dimensional finite element analysis
Crustal structure of the coastal and marine San Francisco Bay region, California
Global Omori law decay of triggered earthquakes: Large aftershocks outside the classical aftershock zone
Nearly frictionless faulting by unclamping in long-term interaction models
Very different crustal response to extreme extension in the southern Basin and Range and Colorado Plateau transition
A simple algorithm for sequentially incorporating gravity observations in seismic traveltime tomography
Static-stress impact of the 1992 Landers earthquake sequence on nucleation and slip at the site of the 1999 M=7.1 Hector Mine earthquake, southern California
Three-dimensional seismic velocity structure of the San Francisco Bay area
Heightened odds of large earthquakes near Istanbul: an interaction-based probability calculation
Wide-angle seismic recordings from the 1998 Seismic Hazards Investigation of Puget Sound (SHIPS), western Washington and British Columbia
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