To better prepare for earthquakes, we need to know how large they will be, how strong the shaking will be, and how often they will occur. To answer these questions, seismologists look to past earthquakes to better understand future hazards. Earthquakes, however, are complex physical phenomena that occur on timescales...
How well do Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) maps forecast ground shaking due to earthquakes? This question is central to ensuring the safety, security, and economic well-being of citizens. PSHA maps are an important product for users including seismologists, engineers, insurers, and policymakers. PSHA, which has been used worldwide for...
Despite advancing knowledge about the mechanics of earthquakes, earthquake prediction remains, and will likely remain, an unsolved problem. Hence in order to reduce the risk posed by earthquake shaking, seismologists have developed tools called earthquake hazard maps. Earthquake hazard maps communicate expected future shaking scenarios, and are used by engineers...
One seismologist’s noise is another seismologist’s signal. What was once disregarded is now routinely processed as dense arrays of broadband seismometers continuously record small amplitude Earth motions, presenting an immense wealth of data. This dissertation presents three projects where ambient seismic noise, generated by ocean wave interactions with the solid...