Uri ten Brink, PhD
My research focuses on quantifying tectonic and morphological processes and their impacts on the assessments of tsunami, landslide, and earthquake hazards. I am also interested in bridging gaps between disciplines in earth sciences. I am the Project Chief of the USGS Marine Geohazards Sources and Probability Project and in charge of the USGS Ocean Bottom Seismometers.
FIELD EXPERIENCE
41 cruises (26 as chief scientist)
3 over-ice land traverses, Antarctica (co-chief scientist)
4 Airborne magnetic, land gravity, and land seismic surveys (co-chief scientist)
Professional Experience
1991-present Research geophysicist, USGS, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
2015-2019 Editor in Chief, Journal of Geophysical Research-Solid Earth
1999-present Adjunct Scientist, The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
2013-2016 Professor and Chairman, Department of Marine Geosciences, University of Haifa
2016-present Affiliate Professor, University of Haifa
Education and Certifications
1981-1986 Ph.D. Geological Sciences Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
1977-1980 B.Sc. Geology and Physics, The Hebrew University, Israel
1991-1996 Consulting Associate Professor, Stanford University
1987-1991 Post-doctoral scholar, Stanford University
1986-1987 Post-doctoral scholar, Tel Aviv University
Affiliations and Memberships*
Chairman, U.S.-Israel Bi-National Science Foundation panel for Earth and Atmospheric sciences, 2015
Member - Netherlands Science Foundation panel on Caribbean natural and social sciences, 2014
Member, ITU-WMO-UNESCO/IOC Joint Task Force on Submarine Cables for Tsunami Warnings and Scientific Research, 2013
Co-convenor, Workshop on landslide tsunami probability, 2011
Member, NSF panel evaluating the management structure of the ocean bottom seismometer facilities, 2011
Guest editor- Marine Geology "Assessment of tsunami hazards to the U.S. Atlantic coast", 2009
Honors and Awards
2016 – Fellow, American Geophysical Union
2010 – Senior Scientist (ST), Federal government
2007/8 – Distinguished Lecturer – Seismological Society of America/ IRIS
1996 - Fellow, Geological Society of America
1990 - Royal Society of New Zealand annual prize for Geophysics
Science and Products
Along-strike segmentation in the northern Caribbean plate boundary zone (Hispaniola sector): Tectonic implications
The North American (NOAM) plate converges with the Caribbean (CARIB) plate at a rate of 20.0 ± 0.4 mm/yr. towards 254 ± 1°. Plate convergence is highly oblique (20–10°), resulting in a complex crustal boundary with along-strike segmentation, strain partitioning and microplate tectonics. We study the oblique convergence of the NOAM and CARIB plates between southeastern Cuba to northern Puerto Rico
Semi-automated bathymetric spectral decomposition delineates the impact of mass wasting on the morphological evolution of the continental slope, offshore Israel
Offshore landslide hazard curves from mapped landslide size distributions
Slope failure and mass transport processes along the Queen Charlotte Fault, southeastern Alaska
The Queen Charlotte Fault defines the Pacific–North America transform plate boundary in western Canada and southeastern Alaska for c. 900 km. The entire length of the fault is submerged along a continental margin dominated by Quaternary glacial processes, yet the geomorphology along the margin has never been systematically examined due to the absence of high-resolution seafloor mapping data. Hence
Deformation of the Pacific/North America plate boundary at Queen Charlotte Fault: The possible role of rheology
Geologic evidence for catastrophic marine inundation in 1200–1480 C.E. near the Puerto Rico Trench at Anegada, British Virgin Islands
Geologic controls on submarine slope failure along the central U.S. Atlantic margin: Insights from the Currituck Slide Complex
Overview of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission collaborative research program to assess tsunami hazard for nuclear power plants on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
Observations of seismicity and ground motion in the northeast U.S. Atlantic margin from ocean bottom seismometer data
Pockmark asymmetry and seafloor currents in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil
Geology and hydrocarbon potential of the Dead Sea Rift Basins of Israel and Jordan
Assessment of canyon wall failure process from multibeam bathymetry and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) observations, U.S. Atlantic continental margin
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.
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Filter Total Items: 142
Along-strike segmentation in the northern Caribbean plate boundary zone (Hispaniola sector): Tectonic implications
The North American (NOAM) plate converges with the Caribbean (CARIB) plate at a rate of 20.0 ± 0.4 mm/yr. towards 254 ± 1°. Plate convergence is highly oblique (20–10°), resulting in a complex crustal boundary with along-strike segmentation, strain partitioning and microplate tectonics. We study the oblique convergence of the NOAM and CARIB plates between southeastern Cuba to northern Puerto Rico
AuthorsA. Rodríguez-Zurrunero, J. L. Granja-Bruña, A. Muñoz-Martín, Sarah LeRoy, Uri S. ten Brink, J.M. Gorosabel-Araus, L. Gómez de la Peña, M Druet, A. Carbó- GorosabelSemi-automated bathymetric spectral decomposition delineates the impact of mass wasting on the morphological evolution of the continental slope, offshore Israel
Understanding continental slope morphological evolution is essential for predicting depositional systems and reservoirs in the adjacent basin. However, present-day slope seafloor-morphology is complicated by shaping processes, which are not readily separable through pure bathymetric analysis. This study aims to explore the utility of bathymetric spectral decomposition in order to separate and charAuthorsGodol Omri, Gideon Tibor, Uri S. ten Brink, John K. Hall, Gavrielle Groves‐Gidney, Gideon Bar-Am, Christian Hubscher, Yizhaq MakovskyOffshore landslide hazard curves from mapped landslide size distributions
We present a method to calculate landslide hazard curves along offshore margins based on size distributions of submarine landslides. The method analyzes ten different continental margins, that were mapped by high-resolution multibeam sonar with landslide scar areas measured by a consistent GIS procedure. Statistical tests of several different probability distribution models indicate that the lognoAuthorsEric L. Geist, Uri S. ten BrinkSlope failure and mass transport processes along the Queen Charlotte Fault, southeastern Alaska
The Queen Charlotte Fault defines the Pacific–North America transform plate boundary in western Canada and southeastern Alaska for c. 900 km. The entire length of the fault is submerged along a continental margin dominated by Quaternary glacial processes, yet the geomorphology along the margin has never been systematically examined due to the absence of high-resolution seafloor mapping data. Hence
AuthorsDaniel Brothers, Brian D. Andrews, Maureen A. L. Walton, H. Gary Greene, J. Vaughn Barrie, Nathaniel C. Miller, Uri S. ten Brink, Amy E. East, Peter J. Haeussler, Jared W. Kluesner, James E. ConradDeformation of the Pacific/North America plate boundary at Queen Charlotte Fault: The possible role of rheology
The Pacific/North America (PA/NA) plate boundary between Vancouver Island and Alaska is similar to the PA/NA boundary in California in its kinematic history and the rate and azimuth of current relative motion, yet their deformation styles are distinct. The California plate boundary shows a broad zone of parallel strike slip and thrust faults and folds, whereas the 49‐mm/yr PA/NA relative plate motAuthorsUri S. ten Brink, Nathaniel C. Miller, Brian D. Andrews, Daniel S. Brothers, Peter J. HaeusslerGeologic evidence for catastrophic marine inundation in 1200–1480 C.E. near the Puerto Rico Trench at Anegada, British Virgin Islands
Extraordinary marine inundation scattered clasts southward on the island of Anegada, 120 km south of the Puerto Rico Trench, sometime between 1200 and 1480 calibrated years (cal yr) CE. Many of these clasts were likely derived from a fringing reef and from the sandy flat that separates the reef from the island’s north shore. The scattered clasts include no fewer than 200 coral boulders, mapped herAuthorsBrian F. Atwater, Uri S. ten Brink, Anna Lisa Cescon, Nathalie Feuillet, Zamara Fuentes, Robert B. Halley, Carlos Nuñez, Eduard G. Reinhardt, Jean Roger, Yuki Sawai, Michaela Spiske, Martitia P. Tuttle, Yong Wei, Jennifer Weil-AccardoGeologic controls on submarine slope failure along the central U.S. Atlantic margin: Insights from the Currituck Slide Complex
Multiple styles of failure, ranging from densely spaced, mass transport driven canyons to the large, slab-type slope failure of the Currituck Slide, characterize adjacent sections of the central U.S. Atlantic margin that appear to be defined by variations in geologic framework. Here we use regionally extensive, deep penetration multichannel seismic (MCS) profiles to reconstruct the influence of thAuthorsJenna C. Hill, Daniel S. Brothers, Bradley K. Craig, Uri S. ten Brink, Jason D. Chaytor, Claudia FloresOverview of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission collaborative research program to assess tsunami hazard for nuclear power plants on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
In response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) initiated a long-term research program to improve understanding of tsunami hazard levels for nuclear facilities in the United States. For this effort, the US NRC organized a collaborative research program with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and AtmospheAuthorsA.M. Kammerer, Uri S. ten Brink, V.V. TitovObservations of seismicity and ground motion in the northeast U.S. Atlantic margin from ocean bottom seismometer data
Earthquake data from two short-period ocean-bottom seismometer (OBS) networks deployed for over a year on the continental slope off New York and southern New England were used to evaluate seismicity and ground motions along the continental margin. Our OBS networks located only one earthquake of Mc∼1.5 near the shelf edge during six months of recording, suggesting that seismic activity (MLg>3.0) ofAuthorsClaudia Flores, Uri S. ten Brink, Jeffrey J. McGuire, John A. CollinsPockmark asymmetry and seafloor currents in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil
Pockmarks form by gas/fluid expulsion into the ocean and are preserved under conditions of negligible sedimentation. Ideally, they are circular at the seafloor and symmetrical in profile. Elliptical pockmarks are more enigmatic. They are associated with seafloor currents while asymmetry is connected to sedimentation patterns. This study examines these associations through morphological analysis ofAuthorsU. Schattner, M. Lazar, L. A. P. Souza, Uri S. ten Brink, M. M. MahiquesGeology and hydrocarbon potential of the Dead Sea Rift Basins of Israel and Jordan
Following its middle Miocene inception, numerous basins of varying lengths and depths developed along the Dead Sea fault zone, a large continental transform plate boundary. The modern day left-lateral fault zone has an accumulated left-lateral offset of 105 to 110 km (65 to 68 mi). The deepest basin along the fault zone, the Lake Lisan or Dead Sea basin, reaches depths of 7.5 to 8.5 km (24,500 ftAuthorsJames L. Coleman, Uri S. ten BrinkAssessment of canyon wall failure process from multibeam bathymetry and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) observations, U.S. Atlantic continental margin
Over the last few years, canyons along the northern U.S. Atlantic continental margin have been the focus of intensive research examining canyon evolution, submarine geohazards, benthic ecology and deep-sea coral habitat. New high-resolution multibeam bathymetry and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dives in the major shelf-breaching and minor slope canyons, provided the opportunity to investigate thAuthorsJason D. Chaytor, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Uri S. ten Brink, Christopher D. P. Baxter, Andrea M. Quattrini, Daniel S. BrothersNon-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.
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*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