EAR-PF: Geologic Age Constraints for Seismic Hazard Assessment of Critical National Infrastructure

Rood Dylan H, Livermore CA

Investigators

Abstract

Dr. Dylan Rood has been awarded an NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a research and education plan at the University of California, Irvine. This work will develop a transformational new tool for earthquake hazard analysis. The goal of this investigation is to produce a dataset of exposure ages for well-characterized geologic features (precariously balanced rocks, PBRs) using in-situ produced cosmogenic isotopes (10Be). Successful dating of PBRs will allow ground motions from ancient earthquakes to be constrained over timescales for which observational data do not exist. This chronology will be synthesized with physics-based unexceeded ground motion estimates for each PBR and compared to existing hazard maps. The results will validate ground motion models and significantly reduce uncertainty in earthquake hazard estimates, in turn, providing a firm scientific basis for probabilistic seismic hazard assessment. PBRs have potential to be applied to seismic hazard analysis for a wide range of the nation's critical infrastructure (e.g. buildings, bridges, dams, etc.). Specifically, improved seismic hazard analysis would greatly assist government regulators in successfully licensing sensitive structures (e.g. nuclear power plants). This project will also support the career development of a young scientist through mentorship and teaching experience. Each year the fellow will teach Natural Disasters, a general education course at University of California, Irvine. Course topics include geologic hazards, including earthquakes and major climate changes. This research and teaching strategy will help prepare the fellow for a career as a scientist and educator in the Earth sciences.