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Educational Publications
Educational Publications
Selected publications about earthquakes In plain language.
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The Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989: Main shock characteristics
The October 17, 1989, Loma Prieta, Calif., earthquake (0004:15.2 G.m.t. October 18; lat 37.036º N., long 121.883º W.; 19-km depth) had a local magnitude (ML) of about 6.7, a surface-wave magnitude (MS) of 7.1, a seismic moment of 2.2x1019 N-m to 3.5x1019 N-m, a source duration of 6 to 15 s, and an average stress drop of at least 50 bars. Slip occurred on a dipping fault surface about 35 km long an
Authors
Paul A. Spudich, Gregory C. Beroza, George Choy, John Boatwright, Stephen H. Hartzell, Gordon L. Stewart, Carlos Mendoza, Stephen Horton, John G. Anderson, Andres J. Mendez, Hiroo Kanamori, Kenji Satake, Michael Lisowski, Mark Hunter Murray, Jerry L. Svarc, Grant Marshall, Ross S. Stein, Karen McNally, Gerald W. Simila, Judy G. Brown, J.L. Nabelek, Ze'ev Reches, Mark D. Zoback, Jamison Steidl, Ralph J. Archuleta, Aaron A. Velasco, Thorne Lay, Jiajun Zhang, David J. Wald, Donald V. Helmberger, Thomas H. Heaton, Chesley R. Williams, Paul Segall, Francis T. Wu, Mingdong Wu, J.W. Rudnicki
Seismic anisotropy of the crystalline crust: What does it tell us?
The study of the directional dependence of seismic velocities (seismic anisotropy) promises more refined insight into mineral composition and physical properties of the crystalline crust than conventional deep seismic refraction or reflection profiles providing average values of P-and S-wave velocities. The alignment of specific minerals by ductile rock deformation, for instance, causes specific t
Authors
Wolfgang Rabbel, Walter D. Mooney
Transition from slab to slabless: Results from the 1993 Mendocino triple junction seismic experiment
Three seismic refraction-reflection profiles, part of the Mendocino triple junction seismic experiment, allow us to compare and contrast crust and upper mantle of the North American margin before and after it is modified by passage of the Mendocino triple junction. Upper crustal velocity models reveal an asymmetric Great Valley basin overlying Sierran or ophiolitic rocks at the latitude of Fort Br
Authors
B. C. Beaudoin, N. J. Godfrey, S.L. Klemperer, C. Lendl, A.M. Trehu, T.J. Henstock, A. Levander, J.E. Holl, A.S. Meltzer, James H. Luetgert, Walter D. Mooney
Three-dimensional crustal structure of the southern Sierra Nevada from seismic fan profiles and gravity modeling
Traveltime data from the 1993 Southern Sierra Nevada Continental Dynamics seismic refraction experiment reveal low crustal velocities in the southern Sierra Nevada and Basin and Range province of California (6.0 to 6.6 km/s), as well as low upper mantle velocities (7.6 to 7.8 km/s). The crust thickens from southeast to northwest along the axis of the Sierra Nevada from 27 km in the Mojave Desert t
Authors
M.M. Fliedner, S. Ruppert, P.E. Malin, S. K. Park, G. Jiracek, R. A. Phinney, J.B. Saleeby, B. Wernicke, R. Clayton, Rebecca Hylton Keller, K. Miller, C. Jones, J. H. Luetgert, Walter D. Mooney, H. Oliver, S.L. Klemperer, G. A. Thompson
Origin of high mountains in the continents: The Southern Sierra Nevada
Active and passive seismic experiments show that the southern Sierra, despite standing 1.8 to 2.8 kilometers above its surroundings, is underlain by crust of similar seismic thickness, about 30 to 40 kilometers. Thermobarometry of xenolith suites and magnetotelluric profiles indicate that the upper mantle is eclogitic to depths of 60 kilometers beneath the western and central parts of the range, b
Authors
B. Wernicke, R. Clayton, Mihai N. Ducea, C.H. Jones, S. Park, S. Ruppert, J. Saleeby, J.K. Snow, L. Squires, M. Fliedner, G. Jiracek, Rebecca Hylton Keller, S. Klemperer, J. Luetgert, P. Malin, K. Miller, Walter D. Mooney, H. Oliver, R. Phinney
Strain accumulation across the central Nevada seismic zone, 1973–1994
Five trilateration networks extending for 280 km along the central Nevada seismic zone (1915 Pleasant Valley, M = 7.3; 1954 Dixie Valley, M = 6.8; 1954 Stillwater, M = 6.8; 1954 Rainbow Mountain, M = 6.6; 1954 Fairview Peak, M = 7.1; and 1932 Cedar Mountain, M = 7.2) have been surveyed 6 times since 1973 to determine deformation along the zone. Within the precision of measurement the deformation a
Authors
James C. Savage, Michael Lisowski, W.K. Gross
Changes in long‐term extension rates associated with the Morgan Hill and Loma Prieta earthquakes in California
Frequent measurements since mid‐1981 of the distances from a geodetic monument located about 100 km south‐southeast of San Francisco to three monuments 30 to 40 km distant provide an unusually complete record of the deformation before and after two nearby earthquakes, the 1984 Morgan Hill (ML = 6.2) and 1989 Loma Prieta (Ms = 7.1) earthquakes. Except possibly for the first few months postseismic,
Authors
James C. Savage, Michael Lisowski
Strain accumulation in Owens Valley, California, 1974 to 1988
Strain accumulation observed over the 1974 to 1988 interval in a 25 by 100 km aperture trilateration network spanning Owens Valley is adequately described by a strain rate that is uniform in space and time. The tensor strain-rate components referred to a coordinate system with the 2 axis directed N18°W (parallel to the trend of the valley) and the 1 axis N72°E are ∈˙11′ = 0.042 ± 0.014 μstrain/yr,
Authors
James C. Savage, Michael Lisowski
Geodetic monitoring of the southern San Andreas Fault, California, 1980-1991
Five geodetic arrays (10 to 40 km aperture) located along the San Andreas fault have been surveyed frequently (several times in most years) over the 1980–1991 interval to detect possible fluctuations in the deformation rate. In each survey of an array the distances between the same four to seven pairs of geodetic monuments were measured. The distances measured (with corresponding standard deviatio
Authors
James C. Savage, Michael Lisowski
Interseismic uplift at the Nankai subduction zone, southwest Japan, 1951–1990
Uplift as a function of time from 1951 through 1990 has been deduced from annual mean sea level measured at 15 tide gages along the Nankai subduction zone, southwest Japan. The recurrence interval for rupture of the Nankai subduction zone is about 100 years, and the most recent rupture was in late 1946. Thus the 1951–1990 uplift record covers most of the first half of the earthquake cycle. The pre
Authors
James C. Savage
The Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of January 17, 1995: Performance of lifelines
This report describes the damage to lifelines caused by the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) earthquake in Japan. It begins with a summary of the earthquake's seismological characteristics which is followed by separate chapters that focus on the performance of lifelines in the affected region. In order of presentation, individual chapters discuss the damage to: 1) electric power networks; 2) gas deliver
Authors
Donald Ballantyne, Roger D. Borcherdt, Ian G. Buckle, Thomas D. O'Rourke, Anshel J. Schiff
Multichannel seismic-reflection profiling on the R/V Maurice Ewing during the Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment (LARSE), California
This report describes the acquisition of deep-crustal multichannel seismic-reflection data in the Inner California Borderland aboard the R/V Maurice Ewing, conducted in October 1994 as part of the Los Angeles Regional Seismic Experiment (LARSE). LARSE is a cooperative study of the crustal structure of southern California involving earth scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Caltech, the Univ
Authors
Thomas M. Brocher, Robert W. Clayton, Kim D. Klitgord, Robert G. Bohannon, Ray Sliter, John K. McRaney, James V. Gardner, J.B. Keene