Most earthquakes occur along the boundaries of rocky ?plates? that make up the Earth?s surface. Most great earthquakes occur where plates converge, as in Indonesia, Japan and Cascadia. Other damaging events are associated with ?transform? faults, where the plates slide past each other, in places such as Turkey and along the San Andreas Fault in California. Oceanic Transform Faults (OTFs) in the seafloor are geologically simpler than those onshore, and thus offer a natural laboratory for studying their seismicity. This study will deploy a dense array of 55 Ocean Bottom Seismographs (OBSs) off the coast of Oregon for one year to study the Blanco Transform fault. This deployment of OBSs will also be an important adjunct to the Cascadia Initiative (CI), an ongoing onshore/offshore seismic and geodetic experiment that includes an array of seismometers on the seafloor to complement an array of stations onshore. A primary aim of the Cascadia Initiative is to gain a better understanding seismicity associated with subduction along the Pacific margin of Washington, Oregon and northern California, where the risk of a ?megathrust? earthquake is high. Among the broader impacts of this project are support for two graduate students and participation by several graduate students. The immediate scientific benefit is better understanding of seismicity and mechanics of Oceanic Transform Faults (OTFs), but the chief broader impact of this project will be its very significant contribution to the broader, Cascadia Initiative.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE)
Application #
1031858
Program Officer
Candace Major
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2012-08-15
Budget End
2018-07-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$622,173
Indirect Cost
Name
Oregon State University
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Corvallis
State
OR
Country
United States
Zip Code
97331