AEIC Active research projects:

• Collaborative research in the Wrangell Mountains STEEP (ST. Elias Erosion/tectonics Project)

• A sequence of Mw 5+ earthquakes at the southern end of the Minto Flats seismic zone, central Alaska, in 2000.
       (N. Ratchkovski and R. Hansen; 2001)

• Estimation of earthquake source parameters and site response in Anchorage, Alaska from strong motion network data using generalized inversion method.
       (U.Dutta, N. Biswas, A. Martirosyan, A. Papageorgiou, and S.Kinoshita; 2002)

• A sequence of strong intraslab earthquakes in the Kodiak Island region, Alaska in 1999-2001.
       (N. Ratchkovski and R. Hansen; 2001)

• Tsunami Inundation Mapping for Alaska Communities.
       (R. Hansen and E. Suleimani; 2002)

• Estimation of S-wave velocity structure in Anchorage basin Alaska using array measurements of Microtremor.
       (U. Dutta, H. Kawase, T. Satoh, T Sato, N. Biswas, and M. Dravinski; 2002)

• New constraints on tectonics of interior Alaska: Earthquake locations, source mechanisms and stress regime.
       (N. Ratchkovski and R. Hansen; 2002)

• Moho Topography beneath the Alaska Range.
       (E. V. Smith, D. Christensen, and G. Abers (Boston Univ.); 2002)

• 3D imaging of shear wave velocity in uppermost 30m soil column in Anchorage, Alaska.
       (J. Badal, U.Dutta, F.J. Seron, and N. Biswas; 2002)

• Segmentation of the Alaska subduction zone from the Joint Hypocenter relocations of earthquakes.
       (N. Ratchkovski and R. Hansen; 2001)

• Ground Motion Analysis in the Anchorage Basin: 1-D Approach.
       (A. Martirosyan, N. Biswas, D. Cole, and A. Papageorgiou; 2002)

• What can we learn from the double difference relocation of the Alaska Earthquake catalog.
       (N. Ratchkovski, R. Hansen, and J. Freymueller; 2002)

• Determination of Site Response in Anchorage, Alaska on the Basis of Spectral Ratio Methods
       (A. Martirosyan, N. Biswas, U. Dutta, R. Combellick, M. Dravinski, and A. Papageorgiou; 2002)

• Investigations of multiple parental magmas at Shishaldin Volcano
       (P. Stelling (Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks); 2002)

• Changes in the seismic moment release in the Cook Inlet region of Alaska before and after 1964 Great Alaska earthquake.
       (N. Ratchkovski, D. Doser (Univ. of Texas at El Paso), and P. Hauessler (USGS, Anchorage); 2002)

• Search for a possible triggering effect between tectonic earthquakes and swarms at volcanoes.
       (J. Sanchez and S. McNutt; 2002)

Previous research projects:

• A number of earthquakes (largest M=6.9) that occurred in the Shumagin seismic gap in 1992-1993.
       (Z. Lu, S. Wiemer, M. Wyss)

• The relationship of seismicity to volcanic eruptions, the characteristics of seismicity near volcanoes, and the transmission properties of the crust below volcanoes in order to better understand and predict volcanic processes.
       (J. Benoit, D. Christensen, J. Clippard, R. Hansen, A. Jolly, J. Lahr, S. McNutt, J. Power, H. Pulpan, C. Rowe, C. Searcy, M. Wyss)

• Tomography on large scales (deep seismic slab) and small scales (volcanoes) used to map the properties of the crust and upper mantle of the Earth.
       (D. Christensen, J. Clippard, R. Hansen, H. Pulpan, C. Searcy)

• Estimating the directions of the stress tensor from inversion of fault plane solutions to map the stress field and to understand the changes of stress as a function of space and time and their relationship to major faults and plate motions.
       (J. Lahr, Z. Lu, H. Pulpan, M. Wyss)

• Refining the technique of predicting earthquakes based on seismic quiescence with new software tools that analyze earthquake catalogs.
       (S. Wiemer, M. Wyss)

• An inversion for a local magnitude scale appropriate for Alaska which aids in the preparation of event catalogs at the Alaska Earthquake Information Center and helps characterize attenuation in Alaska.
       (K. Lindquist, R. Hansen).

• Microzonation of the expected strong ground motions due to earthquakes for the urban centers as an important effort toward mitigating this hazard.
       (N. Biswas, Y. Chen, N. Ratchkovskaia)

• Clear evidence of velocity anisotrophy in the crust of Alaska contained in S-wave polarization observations, intending to map this phenomenon under the three-component seismograph stations and determine its relationship to stress directions and geological fabric.
       (G. Tytgat, M. Wyss)

• The cataloging and understanding of the characteristics of Alaskan seismicity (b-value, a-value, p-value, duration of after- and fore-shock sequences, probability of after- and fore-shocks, clustering and rate fluctuations), because they are fundamental to the estimate of seismic hazards.
       (S. Estes, B. Hammond, R. Hansen, J. Lahr, H. Pulpan, M. Wyss)

• The compilation of complete information on historic intensities due to earthquakes and the construction of an authoritative seismic zoning map remains a high priority.
       (Z. Lu, H. Pulpan, M. Wyss)

• Construction of models for the geometry and moment release of Alaskan earthquakes (large historic events and smaller recent ones recorded by broad-band instruments) important in understanding of the rupture process in Alaska and in general.
       (D. Christensen, H. Fletcher, R. Hansen, C. Searcy)

• The construction of tectonic models explaining the distribution of seismicity, the mapped faults, the directions of slip, the orientation of stress, the moment distribution in great earthquakes, the surface deformations and the velocity structure.
       N. Biswas, D. Christensen, R. Hansen, J. Lahr, S. McNutt, H. Pulpan, M. Wyss)

• Implementing array processing techniques to aid in seismic monitoring and to make greater use of the modern arrays of seismograph stations located in Alaska.
       (R. Hansen)

• Crustal deformations measured by GPS techniques to monitor volcanoes and plate motions, and to model slip along faults and mountain building.
       (J. Freymueller)

• Applying SAR interferometry to measuring surface deformations associated with earthquakes, volcanic activity, thickness of lava flows in inaccessible areas, glacier flow and ocean ice movements.
       (Z. Lu, J. Freymueller, M. Wyss)

• Development of improved instrumentation and processing strategies for recording volcanic seismicity and analysis in near-real-time.
       (J. Benoit, S. Estes, J. Lahr, S. McNutt, J. Power)

• The Seismological Database Software Implementation project, an effort to produce modern, portable software tools enhancing researchers' capabilities to efficiently create, manage, and use seismological databases.
       (M. Anderson, R. Hansen, M. Robinson, C. Sonafrank, M. Wyss)

• A seismo-tectonic project in Far-Eastern Russia that aims to map the plate boundaries and improve understanding of the plate motions in the Arctic region.
       (K. Fujita, D. Stone)