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Person

Paul S Earle

Supervisory Development Geophysicist

Geologic Hazards Science Center

Email: pearle@usgs.gov
Office Phone: 303-273-8417
Fax: 303-273-8452
ORCID: 0000-0002-3500-017X

Location
1711 Illinois St
P.O. Box 25046
Mail Stop 966
Denver , CO 80225-0046
US

Supervisor: Ryan D Gold
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It is well know that every earthquake can spawn others (e.g., as aftershocks), and that such triggered events can be large and damaging, as recently demonstrated by L’Aquila, Italy and Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes. In spite of being an explicit USGS strategic-action priority (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1088; page 32), the USGS currently lacks an automated system with which to forecast such events and official protocols for disseminating the potential implications. This capability, known as Operational Earthquake Forecasting (OEF), could provide valuable situational awareness to emergency managers, the public, and other entities interested in preparing for potentially damaging earthquakes. With the various...
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These data sets are the results of calculations of hazard curves for a grid of points with a spacing of 0.05 degrees in latitude and longitude. They represent the chance of experiencing potentially damaging ground shaking for fixed ground shaking levels that corresponds with MMI = VII. The values are obtained by averaging the probability of experiencing MMI = VII based on a peak ground acceleration value of 0.2152 g for site class D, and the probability of experiencing MMI = VII based on 1.0-second spectral acceleration value of 0.2256 g for site class D. The data are for the Central and Eastern United States.
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This data set represents the results of calculations of hazard curves for a grid of points with a spacing of 0.05 degrees in latitude and longitude. This particular data set is for horizontal spectral response acceleration for 0.2-second period with a 1 percent probability of exceedance in 1 year. The data are for the Western United States and are based on the long-term 2014 National Seismic Hazard Model.
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Large areas of the United States long considered geologically stable with little or no detected seismicity have recently become seismically active. The increase in earthquake activity began in the mid-continent starting in 2001 ( 1) and has continued to rise. In 2014, the rate of occurrence of earthquakes with magnitudes ( M) of 3 and greater in Oklahoma exceeded that in California (see the figure). This elevated activity includes larger earthquakes, several with M > 5, that have caused significant damage ( 2, 3). To a large extent, the increasing rate of earthquakes in the mid-continent is due to fluid-injection activities used in modern energy production ( 1, 4, 5). We explore potential avenues for mitigating...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
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The past decade has seen improvements in computational efficiency, seismic data coverage, and communication technology - driven by societal expectation for timely, accurate information. While aspects of earthquake research have taken advantage of this evolution, the adoption of improvements in earthquake monitoring has not been fully leveraged. In real-time monitoring, earthquakes are characterized in a vacuum, without building upon our knowledge of past events. New data types may help characterize earthquakes more quickly and accurately. New opportunities exist for rapidly communicating information. With these advances, global seismic monitoring can improve the quality and timeliness of information shared with...
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