Jonathan P Perkins
Jon is a Research Geologist specializing in landslides, sediment transport, and landscape evolution.
Jon got his Ph.D. in 2015 from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he worked on the tectonic, magmatic, and geomorphic processes that shape the landscape of the Central Andes. In 2007 he graduated with a B.S. in Geosciences from San Francisco State University, and spent the next two years working at the Cosmochemistry Laboratory at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Lab. He came to the USGS in 2016 as a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow to investigate the linkages between glacial sedimentology, groundwater flow, and slope stability in northwest Washington State.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., University of California, 2015
B.S., San Francisco State University (Geosciences), 2007
Science and Products
Below are science projects related to Jon's work
Field, geotechnical, and meteorological data of the 22 March 2018 narrow cold frontal rainband (NCFR) and its effects, Tuolumne River canyon, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California
This data release includes information used to support the manuscript "Linking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR)". The included datasets and supplement include information related to the 22 March 2018 NCFR and associated shallow landslides in the Toulumne Canyon triggered by this event. The three datasets and one...
Field observations of ground failure triggered by the 2020 Puerto Rico earthquake sequence
This dataset consists of over 800 field observations of ground failure (landslides, lateral spreading, and liquefaction) and other damage triggered by the 2019-2020 Puerto Rico earthquake sequence. The sequence started with a M4.7 earthquake on 28 December 2019, followed by many more earthquakes, including 15 larger than M5 (as of 7 July 2020). The M6.4 mainshock, which is thought to...
Toward an integrative geological and geophysical view of Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes
The Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) is an exceptional geologic environment for recording evidence of land level changes, tsunamis, and ground motion that reveals at least 19 great megathrust earthquakes over the past 10 kyr. Such earthquakes are among the most impactful natural hazards on Earth, transcend national boundaries, and can have global impact. Reducing the societal impacts of...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Lydia M. Staisch, Tina Dura, Jessie K. Pearl, Brian Sherrod, Joan S. Gomberg, Simon E. Engelhart, Anne Trehu, Janet Watt, Jonathan P. Perkins, Robert Witter, Noel Bartlow, Chris Goldfinger, Harvey M. Kelsey, Ann Morey, Valerie Jean Sahakian, Harold Tobin, Kelin Wang, Ray E. Wells, Erin Wirth
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
Linking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: Effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR)
Landscapes evolve in response to prolonged and/or intense precipitation resulting from atmospheric processes at various spatial and temporal scales. Whereas synoptic (large‐scale) features (e.g., atmospheric rivers and hurricanes) govern regional‐scale hydrologic hazards such as widespread flooding, mesoscale features such as thunderstorms or squall lines are more likely to trigger...
Authors
Brian D. Collins, N. S. Oakley, Jonathan P. Perkins, Amy East, Skye C. Corbett, Benjamin J. Hatchett
Controls on eolian landscape evolution in fractured bedrock
Wind abrasion is important for planetary landscape evolution, and wind‐abraded bedrock landscapes contain many landforms that are difficult to interpret. Here we exploit a natural experiment in Chile where topographic shielding by an upwind lava flow yields diverse erosional landforms in a downwind ignimbrite. Using a 3‐D topographic wind model, we find that low velocities in the wake of...
Authors
Jonathan P. Perkins, Noah J. Finnegan, Shanaka L. de Silva, Michael J. Willis
Hunting for landslides from Cascadia's great earthquakes
No abstract available.
Authors
Jonathan P. Perkins, Joshua R. Roering, William J. Burns, William Strubel, Bryan A. Black, Kevin Schmidt, Alison R Duvall, Nancy C. Calhoun
Control of landslide volume and hazard by glacial stratigraphic architecture, Northwest Washington state, USA
Landslide volumes span many orders of magnitude, but large-volume slides tend to travel farther and consequently can pose a greater hazard. In northwest Washington State, USA, a landscape abounding with landslides big and small, the recent occurrence of the large-volume and tragically deadly State Route 530 (Oso) landslide is a stark reminder of the hazards associated with glacial...
Authors
Jonathan P. Perkins, Mark E. Reid, Kevin Schmidt
By
Energy and Mineral Resources Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Landslide Hazards Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Non-USGS Publications**
M.E. Pritchard, S.L. de Silva, G. Michelfelder, G. Zandt, S.R. McNutt, J. Gottsmann, M.E. West, J. Blundy, D.H. Christensen, N.J. Finnegan, E. Minaya, R.S.J. Sparks, M. Sunagua, M.J. Unsworth, C. Alvizuri, M.J. Comeau, R. del Potro, D. Díaz, M. Diez, A. Farrell, S.T. Henderson, J.A. Jay, T. Lopez, D. Legrand, J.A. Naranjo, H. McFarlin, D. Muir, J.P. Perkins, Z. Spica, A. Wilder, K.M. Ward; Synthesis: PLUTONS: Investigating the relationship between pluton growth and volcanism in the Central Andes. Geosphere doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/GES01578.1
Perkins, J. P., Ward, K. M., De Silva, S. L., Zandt, G., Beck, S. L., & Finnegan, N. J. (2016). Surface uplift in the Central Andes driven by growth of the Altiplano Puna Magma Body. Nature Communications, 7. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13185
Perkins, J. P., Finnegan, N. J., Henderson, S. T., & Rittenour, T. M. (2016). Topographic constraints on magma accumulation below the actively uplifting Uturuncu and Lazufre volcanic centers in the Central Andes. Geosphere, 12(4), 1078–1096. https://doi.org/10.1130/GES01278.1
Perkins, J. P., Finnegan, N. J., & De Silva, S. L. (2015). Amplification of bedrock canyon incision by wind. Nature Geoscience, 8(4), 305–310. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2381
**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
Below are science projects related to Jon's work
Field, geotechnical, and meteorological data of the 22 March 2018 narrow cold frontal rainband (NCFR) and its effects, Tuolumne River canyon, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California
This data release includes information used to support the manuscript "Linking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR)". The included datasets and supplement include information related to the 22 March 2018 NCFR and associated shallow landslides in the Toulumne Canyon triggered by this event. The three datasets and one...
Field observations of ground failure triggered by the 2020 Puerto Rico earthquake sequence
This dataset consists of over 800 field observations of ground failure (landslides, lateral spreading, and liquefaction) and other damage triggered by the 2019-2020 Puerto Rico earthquake sequence. The sequence started with a M4.7 earthquake on 28 December 2019, followed by many more earthquakes, including 15 larger than M5 (as of 7 July 2020). The M6.4 mainshock, which is thought to...
Toward an integrative geological and geophysical view of Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes
The Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) is an exceptional geologic environment for recording evidence of land level changes, tsunamis, and ground motion that reveals at least 19 great megathrust earthquakes over the past 10 kyr. Such earthquakes are among the most impactful natural hazards on Earth, transcend national boundaries, and can have global impact. Reducing the societal impacts of...
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Lydia M. Staisch, Tina Dura, Jessie K. Pearl, Brian Sherrod, Joan S. Gomberg, Simon E. Engelhart, Anne Trehu, Janet Watt, Jonathan P. Perkins, Robert Witter, Noel Bartlow, Chris Goldfinger, Harvey M. Kelsey, Ann Morey, Valerie Jean Sahakian, Harold Tobin, Kelin Wang, Ray E. Wells, Erin Wirth
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
Linking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: Effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR)
Landscapes evolve in response to prolonged and/or intense precipitation resulting from atmospheric processes at various spatial and temporal scales. Whereas synoptic (large‐scale) features (e.g., atmospheric rivers and hurricanes) govern regional‐scale hydrologic hazards such as widespread flooding, mesoscale features such as thunderstorms or squall lines are more likely to trigger...
Authors
Brian D. Collins, N. S. Oakley, Jonathan P. Perkins, Amy East, Skye C. Corbett, Benjamin J. Hatchett
Controls on eolian landscape evolution in fractured bedrock
Wind abrasion is important for planetary landscape evolution, and wind‐abraded bedrock landscapes contain many landforms that are difficult to interpret. Here we exploit a natural experiment in Chile where topographic shielding by an upwind lava flow yields diverse erosional landforms in a downwind ignimbrite. Using a 3‐D topographic wind model, we find that low velocities in the wake of...
Authors
Jonathan P. Perkins, Noah J. Finnegan, Shanaka L. de Silva, Michael J. Willis
Hunting for landslides from Cascadia's great earthquakes
No abstract available.
Authors
Jonathan P. Perkins, Joshua R. Roering, William J. Burns, William Strubel, Bryan A. Black, Kevin Schmidt, Alison R Duvall, Nancy C. Calhoun
Control of landslide volume and hazard by glacial stratigraphic architecture, Northwest Washington state, USA
Landslide volumes span many orders of magnitude, but large-volume slides tend to travel farther and consequently can pose a greater hazard. In northwest Washington State, USA, a landscape abounding with landslides big and small, the recent occurrence of the large-volume and tragically deadly State Route 530 (Oso) landslide is a stark reminder of the hazards associated with glacial...
Authors
Jonathan P. Perkins, Mark E. Reid, Kevin Schmidt
By
Energy and Mineral Resources Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Landslide Hazards Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Non-USGS Publications**
M.E. Pritchard, S.L. de Silva, G. Michelfelder, G. Zandt, S.R. McNutt, J. Gottsmann, M.E. West, J. Blundy, D.H. Christensen, N.J. Finnegan, E. Minaya, R.S.J. Sparks, M. Sunagua, M.J. Unsworth, C. Alvizuri, M.J. Comeau, R. del Potro, D. Díaz, M. Diez, A. Farrell, S.T. Henderson, J.A. Jay, T. Lopez, D. Legrand, J.A. Naranjo, H. McFarlin, D. Muir, J.P. Perkins, Z. Spica, A. Wilder, K.M. Ward; Synthesis: PLUTONS: Investigating the relationship between pluton growth and volcanism in the Central Andes. Geosphere doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/GES01578.1
Perkins, J. P., Ward, K. M., De Silva, S. L., Zandt, G., Beck, S. L., & Finnegan, N. J. (2016). Surface uplift in the Central Andes driven by growth of the Altiplano Puna Magma Body. Nature Communications, 7. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13185
Perkins, J. P., Finnegan, N. J., Henderson, S. T., & Rittenour, T. M. (2016). Topographic constraints on magma accumulation below the actively uplifting Uturuncu and Lazufre volcanic centers in the Central Andes. Geosphere, 12(4), 1078–1096. https://doi.org/10.1130/GES01278.1
Perkins, J. P., Finnegan, N. J., & De Silva, S. L. (2015). Amplification of bedrock canyon incision by wind. Nature Geoscience, 8(4), 305–310. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2381
**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.