2019 Interns Previous Interns >
Read Blog Entries
Trey
Project Title: Seismic Signature of Highly Resistive South-Eastern North American Lithosphere
I’m going to be examining the mid-Lithosphere discontinuity (MLD) in the south-eastern US by using a new receiver function stacking technique. This will provide estimates of the depth of the MLD, how sharp the MLD is, and the Phi-Power. In combination with magnetotelluric data and mineral physics, this will help determine the mechanism by which, at least in the south-eastern US, the MLD is produced by and hopefully narrow the proposed mechanisms.
Read Blog Entries
Cameron
Project Title: Slab Stagnation in Australia, and Why Convecting Material Becomes Trapped in the Mid Mantle
During my internship, I will learn how to compile and analyze a data set of seismic phases that interact with mantle discontinuities beneath the Australasian region. The first phase of my project involves identifying suitable earthquakes, downloading the data, processing it by using existing codes and scripts, and then picking the data. Analyzing the earthquakes will require the use of existing codes to extract the seismic phases by stacking. This process will assist with identifying and measuring the depths of mantle discontinuities. The second phase of my project involves interpreting potential mantle compositions. This requires generating synthetic seismic phases, which are manipulated in the same way as real seismic data. In addition to generating synthetic seismic phases, various mantle compositions will be tested through the utilization of existing codes.
Read Blog Entries
Tessa
Project Title: Collecting and analyzing BST (Basins of Seattle and Tacoma) data to study the Seattle and Tacoma basins.
In this project I will be working with Dr. Alex Hutko and Dr. Renate Hartog as well as others in the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network(PNSN) to collect ambient noise data in urban environments to analyze the velocity structure of the Seattle and Tacoma basins. Creating a more accurate velocity structure map will help to constrain models that currently show that the Tacoma basin could amplify seismic waves from a megathrust earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. My roll in this research will be to communicate with potential site locations and to be a part of a team to deploy and retrieve seismic stations. I will also be responsible for collecting the data from the data loggers, converting them, assessing each site based on noise characteristics, running the cross-correlations, and determining when to move the stations based on early results. I will work with my mentors to interpret the velocity structure of these basins and their importance for anticipating seismic risk.
Read Blog Entries
Page Dabney
Project Title: Imaging structure within the Australian lithosphere using Sp receiver functions
This summer, I will be using Sp receiver functions to image the structure of the Australian lithosphere. This project is a follow up of the analysis to a study in 2010 (The lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary and cratonic lithospheric layering beneath Australia from So wave imaging). Since 2010, seismic networks have expanded, providing more data and coverage across the continent. My role in this project will be to request and process data from broadband seismic stations. In addition, I will take on forward modeling and interpret the results to better characterize the structure of the lithosphere and the nature of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary.
Read Blog Entries
Ben
Project Title: Rayleigh Wave Attenuation Tomography of Alaska Using Wavefront Tracking
This summer, I am studying Rayleigh wave attenuation in Alaska. By comparing the amplitude of the Rayleigh waves that arrive at two seismic stations that are close together, we can isolate the differences in amplitude to be caused by the receiver or the Earth’s structure. From this, we will analyze the composition and structure beneath Alaska to better understand some of the interesting surface features that occur there, such as the Denali volcanic gap, the Wrangell volcanic field, and the Aleutian volcanic chain.
Read Blog Entries
Lucas
Project Title: Characterizing Sea Ice Noise at the Utqiagvik (Barrow) Alaska Transportable Array Seismic Station
This summer we will be looking at seismic noise data from the Alaskan Transportable Array, attempting to characterize and filter noise from different sources (wind, pressure, ground-freeze thaw) with a focus on noise originating from sea ice. This research will provide greater understanding of noise associated with sea ice, specifically with the convergence and breakup of sea ice.
This summer my main focus is on the Socorro Magma Body (SMB). The Socorro Magma Body is a mid-crustal magma body that is located in the Rio Grande Rift, NM and is estimated to be around 19km deep and have an area of about 3,400 square km. The thickness is estimated to be between 50-500m with an average of about 150m. The Socorro Seismic anomaly is contributed to the Socorro Magma body and around 23% of the earthquakes in New Mexico in the past 50 years have occurred in the Socorro Seismic Anomaly. The goal for this project is to use seismic data collected in 2015 from the area around the Socorro Magma body to determine and map the extent of the magma body. The data that will be used was collected from 801 vertical component seismic nodes and seven broadband stations that were deployed for a two week period.
Read Blog Entries
Christyna
Project Title: Constraining the properties of a subglacial lake in Greenland using active-source seismology
For this project, I'll be looking at active-source data from northwest Greenland to determine the properties and origin of a subglacial lake there, which was discovered by radar a few years ago. All of the field work and data collection for this project has already been completed, so my job will be to analyze the results from the active-source survey.
Read Blog Entries
Paige
Project Title: Relationship Between Seismic Azimuthal Anisotropy and Lithospheric Structure and Dynamics
I will be working with Dr. Kelly Liu at the Missouri University of Science and Technology on a summer research project that includes the analysis of shear wave splitting (SWS) to observe lithospheric structure. More specifically, we will focus on complex SWS which displays the characteristic that incoming waves with varying azimuthal angles display different SWS properties (i.e. azimuthal anisotropy). For SWS analysis, typically one will focus on what is referred to as XKS waves. These XKS waves can be a variety of wave combinations that transmit through the liquid outer core and emerge as S-waves, including SKS, PKS, and SKKS waves. Our project will encompass the entire research process from data collection, preprocessing, processing, analysis, results, and conclusion. Through this research opportunity, we will be able to conduct a SWS analysis that will allow us to gain a better understanding of lithospheric properties and dynamics and acquire quantifiable data representative of the local SWS properties, such as fast wave direction and splitting time.
This summer I will be working with Dr. Tolulope Olugboji at the University of Rochester. Seismic waves that convert phase at a boundary, P to S for example, are frequently used to image the lithosphere. However, there is worry that reverberations from within the crust impact these conversions. I will be utilizing receiver functions and a tX stacking technique on all satisfactory seismic stations across Africa in order to identify and catalog reverberations. By improving our understanding of crustal reverberations we will be better enabled to examine lithospheric discontinuities, such as the Mid-Lithosphere Discontinuity (MLD).
Read Blog Entries
Mario
Project Title: Evaluating time variations in seismic velocity prior to, during, and after the June 2018 eruption of Sierra Negra volcano, Galapagos
For this project I will be analyzing possible changes in seismic velocity between station pairs due to the eruption of June 2018 of Sierra Negra volcano (Ecuador). In order to do this I will work with ambient noise and will be doing wave cross-correlations. Since I am from Ecuador this project is very special and interesting for me.
Read Blog Entries
Kate
Project Title: Relationship between Seismic Azimuthal Anisotropy and Lithospheric Structure and Dynamics
This summer at Missouri S&T, I will be working with Dr. Kelly Liu to analyze shear wave splitting in order to better understand the structure of the lithosphere below Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa. Analysis of shear wave splitting measurements allow us to probe for anisotropy within the lithosphere which can yield clues about current lithospheric structure and past tectonic history of the region.
Read Blog Entries
Steve
Project Title: Shear wave Velocities in Seattle to constrain Seismic hazards
Use active Source seismology to not only map the Seattle fault with relationship to downtown But also measure shear wave velocities within the upper 30 meters of ground. Using the measured shear wave velocities will help constrain areas that are at the most risk in the event of an earthquake.
Read Blog Entries
Miriam Lizzeth
Project Title: Simulating the tsunami of the great 1787 M8.6 earthquake on the Mexican Pacific coast: implications for present day hazards
For this internship I will be simulating the tsunami generated by the 1787 ~M8.6 San Sixto earthquake that affected Oaxaca coasts. San Sixto earthquake is known to be one of the largest events to have taken place in Mexico, and I will be using Geoclaw software to generate stochastic megathrust faul models in order to estimate the rupture area of this earthquake. The coseismic deformation from the stochastic fault modeling will be used to initiate tsunami wave simulations. Results will provide the inundation hazard areas for a tsunami event for Oaxaca coasts but, I will also develop higher resolution inundation models for the Puerto Angel coasts, this consideration will be carried out because the town is the nearest to the trench (only ~10 km).