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A sea-level database for the Pacific coast of central North America

A database of published and new relative sea-level (RSL) data for the past 16 ka constrains the sea-level histories of the Pacific coast of central North America (southern British Columbia to central California). Our reevaluation of the stratigraphic context and radiocarbon age of sea-level indicators from geological and archaeological investigations yields 600 sea-level index points and 241 sea-l
Authors
Simon E. Engelhart, Matteo Vacchi, Benjamin P. Horton, Alan R. Nelson, Robert E. Kopp

A tribute to George Plafker

In a long and distinguished career, George Plafker made fundamental advances in understanding of megathrust tectonics, tsunami generation, paleoseismology, crustal neotectonics, and Alaskan geology, chiefly by means of geological field observations. George discovered that giant earthquakes result from tens of meters of seismic slip on subduction megathrusts, and he did this before the theory of pl
Authors
Gary S. Fuis, Peter J. Haeussler, Brian F. Atwater

Coastal evidence for Holocene subduction-zone earthquakes and tsunamis in central Chile

The ∼500-year historical record of seismicity along the central Chile coast (30–34°S) is characterized by a series of ∼M 8.0–8.5 earthquakes followed by low tsunamis (<4 m) occurring on the megathrust about every 80 years. One exception is the AD 1730 great earthquake (M 9.0–9.5) and high tsunami (>10 m), but the frequency of such large events is unknown. We extend the seismic history of central C
Authors
Tina Dure, Marco Cisternas, Benjamin Horton, Lisa Ely, Alan R. Nelson, Robert L. Wesson, Jessica Pilarczyk

Cryovolcanism in the outer solar system

Cryovolcanism is defined as the extrusion of liquids and vapors of materials that would be frozen solid at the planetary surface temperatures of the icy bodies of the outer solar system. Active cryovolcanism is now known to occur on Saturn's moon Enceladus and on Neptune's moon Triton and is suspected on Jupiter's moon Europa, while evidence for past cryovolcanic activity is widespread throughout
Authors
Paul E. Geissler

Proceedings of the 9th U.S.-Japan natural resources panel for earthquake research

Introduction The UJNR Panel on Earthquake Research promotes advanced study toward a more fundamental understanding of the earthquake process and hazard estimation. The Ninth Joint meeting was extremely beneficial in furthering cooperation and deepening understanding of problems common to both the U.S. and Japan. The meeting included productive exchanges of information on approaches to systematic o

The importance of particulate texture to the flow strength of ice + dust

Preliminary experimental surveys of the flow of dilute mixtures of ice plus hard particulates under planetary conditions indicate a strengthening effect with respect to pure ice, but with dependencies on environmental conditions (temperature, stress, grain size) that vary widely from study to study [1-4]. With the expectation that the textural character of the particulate fraction (size, shape, sp
Authors
W. B. Durham, N. Golding, Laura A. Stern, A. Pathare, D. L. Goldsby, D. Prior

Chemical variations in Yellowknife Bay formation sedimentary rocks analyzed by ChemCam on board the Curiosity rover on Mars

The Yellowknife Bay formation represents a ~5 m thick stratigraphic section of lithified fluvial and lacustrine sediments analyzed by the Curiosity rover in Gale crater, Mars. Previous works have mainly focused on the mudstones that were drilled by the rover at two locations. The present study focuses on the sedimentary rocks stratigraphically above the mudstones by studying their chemical variati
Authors
Nicolas Mangold, Olivier Forni, G. Dromart, K.M. Stack, Roger C. Wiens, Olivier Gasnault, Dawn Y. Sumner, Marion Nachon, Pierre-Yves Meslin, Ryan B. Anderson, Bruce Barraclough, J.F. Bell, G. Berger, D.L. Blaney, J.C. Bridges, F. Calef, Brian R. Clark, Samuel M. Clegg, Agnès Cousin, L. Edgar, Kenneth S. Edgett, B.L. Ehlmann, Cecile Fabre, M. Fisk, John P. Grotzinger, S.C. Gupta, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, J.A. Hurowitz, J. R. Johnson, Linda C. Kah, Nina L. Lanza, Jeremie Lasue, S. Le Mouélic, Eric Lewin, Michael Malin, Scott M. McLennan, S. Maurice, Noureddine Melikechi, Alissa Mezzacappa, Ralph E. Milliken, H.L. Newsome, A. Ollila, Scott K. Rowland, Violaine Sautter, M.E. Schmidt, S. Schroder, C. D'Uston, Dave Vaniman, R. A. Williams

UCERF3: A new earthquake forecast for California's complex fault system

With innovations, fresh data, and lessons learned from recent earthquakes, scientists have developed a new earthquake forecast model for California, a region under constant threat from potentially damaging events. The new model, referred to as the third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, or "UCERF" (http://www.WGCEP.org/UCERF3), provides authoritative estimates of the magnitude, locat
Authors
Edward H. Field

The Mw6.0 24 August 2014 South Napa earthquake

The Mw 6.0 South Napa earthquake, which occurred at 10:20 UTC 24 August 2014 was the largest earthquake to strike the greater San Francisco Bay area since the Mw 6.9 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The rupture from this right‐lateral earthquake propagated mostly unilaterally to the north and up‐dip, directing the strongest shaking toward the city of Napa, where peak ground accelerations (PGAs) betwee
Authors
Thomas M. Brocher, Annemarie S. Baltay, Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Fred F. Pollitz, Jessica R. Murray, Andrea L. Llenos, David P. Schwartz, J. Luke Blair, Daniel J. Ponti, James J. Lienkaemper, Victoria E. Langenheim, Timothy E. Dawson, Kenneth W. Hudnut, David R. Shelly, Douglas S. Dreger, John Boatwright, Brad T. Aagaard, David J. Wald, Richard M. Allen, William D. Barnhart, Keith L. Knudsen, Benjamin A. Brooks, Katherine M. Scharer

The comparative limnology of Lakes Nyos and Monoun, Cameroon

Lakes Nyos and Monoun are known for the dangerous accumulation of CO2 dissolved in stagnant bottom water, but the shallow waters that conceal this hazard are dilute and undergo seasonal changes similar to other deep crater lakes in the tropics. Here we discuss these changes with reference to climatic and water-column data collected at both lakes during the years following the gas release disasters
Authors
George Kling, William C Evans, Gregory Tanyileke

Strain accumulation across the Prince William Sound asperity, Southcentral Alaska

The surface velocities predicted by the conventional subduction model are compared to velocities measured in a GPS array (surveyed in 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000, and 2004) spanning the Prince William Sound asperity. The observed velocities in the comparison have been corrected to remove the contributions from postseismic (1964 Alaska earthquake) mantle relaxation. Except at the most seaward monument (
Authors
James C. Savage, Jerry L. Svarc, Michael Lisowski

The data quality analyzer: a quality control program for seismic data

The U.S. Geological Survey's Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory (ASL) has several initiatives underway to enhance and track the quality of data produced from ASL seismic stations and to improve communication about data problems to the user community. The Data Quality Analyzer (DQA) is one such development and is designed to characterize seismic station data quality in a quantitative and automate
Authors
Adam T. Ringler, M.T. Hagerty, James F. Holland, A. Gonzales, Lind S. Gee, J.D. Edwards, David C. Wilson, Adam Baker
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