Publications
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Key science issues in the central and eastern United States for the next version of the USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps
The USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps are updated about every six years by incorporating newly vetted science on earthquakes and ground motions. The 2008 hazard maps for the central and eastern United States region (CEUS) were updated by using revised New Madrid and Charleston source models, an updated seismicity catalog and an estimate of magnitude uncertainties, a distribution of maximum magnitu
Authors
M.D. Peterson, C.S. Mueller
Meteorites at Meridiani Planum provide evidence for significant amounts of surface and near-surface water on early Mars
Six large iron meteorites have been discovered in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity in a nearly 25 km-long traverse. Herein, we review and synthesize the available data to propose that the discovery and characteristics of the six meteorites could be explained as the result of their impact into a soft and wet surface, sometime during the Noachian or the H
Authors
Alberto G. Fairen, James M. Dohm, Victor R. Baker, Shane D. Thompson, William C. Mahaney, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, J. Alexis P. Rodriguez, Alfonso F. Davila, Dirk Schulze-Makuch, M. Ramy El Maarry, Esther R. Uceda, Ricardo Amils, Hirdy Miyamoto, Kyeong J. Kim, Robert C. Anderson, Christopher P. McKay
Strong ground motion in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, during the M7.0 12 January 2010 Haiti earthquake
No strong motion records are available for the 12 January 2010 M7.0 Haiti earthquake. We use aftershock recordings as well as detailed considerations of damage to estimate the severity and distribution of mainshock shaking in Port-au-Prince. Relative to ground motions at a hard - rock reference site, peak accelerations are amplified by a factor of approximately 2 at sites on low-lying deposits in
Authors
Susan E Hough, Doug Given, Tomoyo Taniguchi, J.R. Altidor, Dieuseul Anglade, S-L. Mildor
On the contribution of reconstruction labor wages and material prices to demand surge
Demand surge is understood to be a socio-economic phenomenon of large-scale natural disasters, most commonly explained by higher repair costs (after a large- versus small-scale disaster) resulting from higher material prices and labor wages. This study tests this explanation by developing quantitative models for the cost change of sets, or "baskets," of repairs to damage caused by Atlantic hurrica
Authors
Anna H. Olsen, Keith A. Porter
Observations of debris flows at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA: Part 2, changes in surface morphometry from terrestrial laser scanning in the summer of 2009
High resolution topographic data that quantify changes in channel form caused by sequential debris flows in natural channels are rare at the reach scale. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) techniques are utilized to capture morphological changes brought about by a high-frequency of debris-flow events at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the topographic resp
Authors
Dennis M. Staley, Thad A. Wasklewicz, Jeffrey A. Coe, Jason W. Kean, Scott W. McCoy, Greg E. Tucker
Assessment of topographic and drainage network controls on debris-flow travel distance along the west coast of the United States
To better understand controls on debris-flow entrainment and travel distance, we examined topographic and drainage network characteristics of initiation locations in two separate debris-flow prone areas located 700 km apart along the west coast of the U.S. One area was located in northern California, the other in southern Oregon. In both areas, debris flows mobilized from slides during large storm
Authors
Jeffrey A. Coe, Mark E. Reid, Dainne L. Brien, John A. Michael
Seasonal flows on warm Martian slopes
Water probably flowed across ancient Mars, but whether it ever exists as a liquid on the surface today remains debatable. Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are narrow (0.5 to 5 meters), relatively dark markings on steep (25° to 40°) slopes; repeat images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment show them to appear and incrementally grow during warm seasons and fad
Authors
Alfred S. McEwen, Lujendra Ojha, Colin M. Dundas, Sarah S. Mattson, Shane Byrne, James J. Wray, Selby C. Cull, Scott L. Murchie, Nicolas Thomas, Virginia C. Gulick
Don't forget about the Christchurch earthquake: Lessons learned from this disaster
In the aftermath of the devastating magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck the Tohoku region of Japan on March 11, attention quickly turned away from a much smaller, but also highly destructive earthquake that struck the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, just a few weeks earlier, on Feb. 22. Both events are stark reminders of human vulnerability to natural disasters and provide a harsh
Authors
Michael W. Hamburger, Walter D. Mooney
Earthquake rupture at focal depth, part II: mechanics of the 2004 M2.2 earthquake along the Pretorius Fault, TauTona Mine, South Africa
We analyze here the rupture mechanics of the 2004, M2.2 earthquake based on our observations and measurements at focal depth (Part I). This event ruptured the Archean Pretorius fault that has been inactive for at least 2 Ga, and was reactivated due to mining operations down to a depth of 3.6 km depth. Thus, it was expected that the Pretorius fault zone will fail similarly to an intact rock body in
Authors
V. Heesakkers, S. Murphy, D. A. Lockner, Z. Reches
Global Positioning System constraints on crustal deformation before and during the 21 February 2008 Wells, Nevada M6.0 earthquake
Using Global Positioning System (GPS) data from permanent sites and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) campaign data
we have estimated co-seismic displacements and secular background crustal deformation patterns associated with the 21
February 2008 Wells Nevada earthquake. Estimated displacements at nearby permanent GPS sites ELKO (84 km distant)
and GOSH (81 km distant) are 1.0±0.2 mm and 1.1±0.3
Authors
William C. Hammond, Geoffrey Blewitt, Corné Kreemer, Jessica R. Murray-Moraleda, Jerry L. Svarc
A Geo-referenced 3D model of the Juan de Fuca Slab and associated seismicity
We present a Geographic Information System (GIS) of a new 3-dimensional (3D) model of the subducted Juan de Fuca Plate beneath western North America and associated seismicity of the Cascadia subduction system. The geo-referenced 3D model was constructed from weighted control points that integrate depth information from hypocenter locations and regional seismic velocity studies. We used the 3D mod
Authors
J.L. Blair, P.A. McCrory, D. H. Oppenheimer, F. Waldhauser