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#           Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone Studies      

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      By Alaska Science Center      October 9, 2018    

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Our research team is exploring seismic and aseismic slip along the Alaska-Aleutian arc and studying the prehistoric record of megathrust earthquakes and tsunamis along the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone

***Seismic and Aseismic Slip***: Tectonic tremor and associated slow slip events represent a newly discovered part of the earthquake cycle. This research aims to understand the process generating tectonic tremor and its relationship to slow slip and earthquakes.

***Paleoseismology and Paleotsunami***: Despite being one of the most seismically active plate boundaries and the source of some of the largest historical earthquakes and tsunamis in the world, the earthquake prehistory of the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone remains largely unstudied. Our research aims to reconstruct an accurate and comprehensive record of prehistoric Aleutian arc earthquakes and tsunamis to understand the frequency and origin of great earthquakes and damaging tsunamis sourced in the Aleutians. The findings from field campaigns in the Aleutians inform earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments that underpin the National Seismic Hazard Maps.

**​​​Return to Geology >> Hazards >> Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards**

### Exploring Seismic and Aseismic Slip in the Alaska-Aleutian Arc

Tectonic tremor, a weak vibration of the ground detectable only through sensitive seismometers, has been identified throughout south-central Alaska. This research uses the catalog of detected tremor to provide key constraints on fault conditions, plate boundary geometry and the relationship between tremor and slow slip. We investigate the spatial and temporal characteristics of tectonic tremor and slow slip phenomena in Alaska’s diverse tectonic environments, and relate it to earthquakes and slow slip in order to elucidate factors controlling tremor and complement similar studies in the contiguous United States.

### Alaska-Aleutian Paleoseismology and Paleotsunami Studies

This research quantifies the timing, location, and size of large prehistoric earthquakes on upper-plate and plate-boundary faults, and the tsunamis that may accompany them, between Prince William Sound and the western Aleutians. We assess these parameters through comprehensive paleoseismology and paleotsunami studies at sites on the south-facing coasts of the Aleutian, Kodiak and Semidi Islands and the Patton Bay fault system in Prince William Sound. Fieldwork involves USGS scientists and academic collaborators. We develop histories of past earthquakes and tsunamis through extensive stratigraphic and geomorphic field studies, paleontologic analyses, tephrachronology, and radiometric dating. The paleoseismic and paleotsunami data we gather in the field ultimately contributes to the assessment of earthquake and tsunami hazards throughout western North America, including USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps and tsunami inundation maps developed through NOAA’s National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program.

 

 

### Contacts

#### Peter J Haeussler, Ph.D.

##### Research Geologist

Alaska Science Center

pheuslr@usgs.gov

907-786-7447

#### Rob Witter, Ph.D.

##### Research Geologist

Alaska Science Center

rwitter@usgs.gov

907-786-7404

#### Aaron Wech

##### Research Geophysicist

Volcano Science Center

awech@usgs.gov

907-786-7464

### Explore Search

                      - Earthquakes
                      - Tsunamis
                      - Natural Hazards
                      - Geology
                      - megathrust

View All **

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

link

February 1, 2019

####                 Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards              

Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

link

February 1, 2019

####   Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards

Learn More

link

April 19, 2024

####                 Alaska Seismic Hazard Map              

Alaska Science Center

link

April 19, 2024

####   Alaska Seismic Hazard Map

Learn More

link

October 9, 2018

####                 Characterizing the Active Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault System              

Alaska Science Center

link

October 9, 2018

####   Characterizing the Active Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault System

Learn More

Below are multimedia items associated with this project.

Stratigraphic contact marking 1964 uplift of Montague Island, Alaska

May 2, 2018

#### Stratigraphic contact marking 1964 uplift of Montague Island, Alaska

link

Stratigraphic contact marking uplift of Montague Island, caused by slip on the Patton Bay fault system during the 1964 M9.2 Great ALaska Earthquake. 

Alaska Science Center

May 2, 2018

#### Stratigraphic contact marking 1964 uplift of Montague Island, Alaska

link

#### Stratigraphic contact marking 1964 uplift of Montague Island, Alaska

link

Stratigraphic contact marking uplift of Montague Island, caused by slip on the Patton Bay fault system during the 1964 M9.2 Great ALaska Earthquake. 

Alaska Science Center

Geologists' camp on Unga Island, Alaska

August 7, 2016

#### Geologists' camp on Unga Island, Alaska

link

USGS geologists' camp overlooking Unga Village on Unga Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

August 7, 2016

#### Geologists' camp on Unga Island, Alaska

link

#### Geologists' camp on Unga Island, Alaska

link

USGS geologists' camp overlooking Unga Village on Unga Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

Sediment core showing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

August 7, 2015

#### Sediment core showing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

Sediment core showing sandy tsunami deposits over soil from an upland environment on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

August 7, 2015

#### Sediment core showing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

#### Sediment core showing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

Sediment core showing sandy tsunami deposits over soil from an upland environment on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

Soil pit on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

July 31, 2015

#### Soil pit on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

Soil pit exposing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

July 31, 2015

#### Soil pit on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

#### Soil pit on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

Soil pit exposing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

USGS team looking at a tsunami-rafted log above Stardust Bay, Alaska

August 8, 2012

#### USGS team looking at a tsunami-rafted log above Stardust Bay, Alaska

link

USGS Alaska Earthquake Hazards research team investigates a tsunami-rafted drift log high above sea level at Stardust Bay, Sedanka Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

August 8, 2012

#### USGS team looking at a tsunami-rafted log above Stardust Bay, Alaska

link

#### USGS team looking at a tsunami-rafted log above Stardust Bay, Alaska

link

USGS Alaska Earthquake Hazards research team investigates a tsunami-rafted drift log high above sea level at Stardust Bay, Sedanka Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

Below are publications associated with this project.

February 20, 2018

####                 Plateau subduction, intraslab seismicity, and the Denali (Alaska) volcanic gap              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

February 1, 2017

####                 Paleoseismic potential of sublacustrine landslide records in a high-seismicity setting (south-central Alaska)              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Landslide Hazards Program, Alaska Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

September 19, 2016

####                 Evidence for shallow megathrust slip across the Unalaska seismic gap during the great 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake, eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska              

Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center

June 1, 2016

####                 Extending Alaska's plate boundary: tectonic tremor generated by Yakutat subduction              

Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

November 30, 2015

####                 Unusually large tsunamis frequent a currently creeping part of the Aleutian megathrust              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

July 1, 2015

####                 Tsunami recurrence in the eastern Alaska-Aleutian arc: A Holocene stratigraphic record from Chirikof Island, Alaska              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

May 1, 2015

####                 Intertidal biological indicators of coseismic subsidence during the Mw 7.8 Haida Gwaii, Canada, earthquake              

Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center

February 4, 2015

####                 Beach ridges as paleoseismic indicators of abrupt coastal subsidence during subduction zone earthquakes, and implications for Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone paleoseismology, southeast coast of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

April 1, 2014

####                 Little late Holocene strain accumulation and release on the Aleutian megathrust below the Shumagin Islands, Alaska              

Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center

March 31, 2014

####                 Uplift and subsidence reveal a nonpersistent megathrust rupture boundary (Sitkinak Island, Alaska)              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Our research team is exploring seismic and aseismic slip along the Alaska-Aleutian arc and studying the prehistoric record of megathrust earthquakes and tsunamis along the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone

***Seismic and Aseismic Slip***: Tectonic tremor and associated slow slip events represent a newly discovered part of the earthquake cycle. This research aims to understand the process generating tectonic tremor and its relationship to slow slip and earthquakes.

***Paleoseismology and Paleotsunami***: Despite being one of the most seismically active plate boundaries and the source of some of the largest historical earthquakes and tsunamis in the world, the earthquake prehistory of the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone remains largely unstudied. Our research aims to reconstruct an accurate and comprehensive record of prehistoric Aleutian arc earthquakes and tsunamis to understand the frequency and origin of great earthquakes and damaging tsunamis sourced in the Aleutians. The findings from field campaigns in the Aleutians inform earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments that underpin the National Seismic Hazard Maps.

**​​​Return to Geology >> Hazards >> Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards**

### Exploring Seismic and Aseismic Slip in the Alaska-Aleutian Arc

Tectonic tremor, a weak vibration of the ground detectable only through sensitive seismometers, has been identified throughout south-central Alaska. This research uses the catalog of detected tremor to provide key constraints on fault conditions, plate boundary geometry and the relationship between tremor and slow slip. We investigate the spatial and temporal characteristics of tectonic tremor and slow slip phenomena in Alaska’s diverse tectonic environments, and relate it to earthquakes and slow slip in order to elucidate factors controlling tremor and complement similar studies in the contiguous United States.

### Alaska-Aleutian Paleoseismology and Paleotsunami Studies

This research quantifies the timing, location, and size of large prehistoric earthquakes on upper-plate and plate-boundary faults, and the tsunamis that may accompany them, between Prince William Sound and the western Aleutians. We assess these parameters through comprehensive paleoseismology and paleotsunami studies at sites on the south-facing coasts of the Aleutian, Kodiak and Semidi Islands and the Patton Bay fault system in Prince William Sound. Fieldwork involves USGS scientists and academic collaborators. We develop histories of past earthquakes and tsunamis through extensive stratigraphic and geomorphic field studies, paleontologic analyses, tephrachronology, and radiometric dating. The paleoseismic and paleotsunami data we gather in the field ultimately contributes to the assessment of earthquake and tsunami hazards throughout western North America, including USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps and tsunami inundation maps developed through NOAA’s National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program.

 

 

### Contacts

#### Peter J Haeussler, Ph.D.

##### Research Geologist

Alaska Science Center

pheuslr@usgs.gov

907-786-7447

#### Rob Witter, Ph.D.

##### Research Geologist

Alaska Science Center

rwitter@usgs.gov

907-786-7404

#### Aaron Wech

##### Research Geophysicist

Volcano Science Center

awech@usgs.gov

907-786-7464

### Explore Search

                      - Earthquakes
                      - Tsunamis
                      - Natural Hazards
                      - Geology
                      - megathrust

View All **

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

link

February 1, 2019

####                 Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards              

Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

link

February 1, 2019

####   Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards

Learn More

link

April 19, 2024

####                 Alaska Seismic Hazard Map              

Alaska Science Center

link

April 19, 2024

####   Alaska Seismic Hazard Map

Learn More

link

October 9, 2018

####                 Characterizing the Active Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault System              

Alaska Science Center

link

October 9, 2018

####   Characterizing the Active Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault System

Learn More

Below are multimedia items associated with this project.

Stratigraphic contact marking 1964 uplift of Montague Island, Alaska

May 2, 2018

#### Stratigraphic contact marking 1964 uplift of Montague Island, Alaska

link

Stratigraphic contact marking uplift of Montague Island, caused by slip on the Patton Bay fault system during the 1964 M9.2 Great ALaska Earthquake. 

Alaska Science Center

May 2, 2018

#### Stratigraphic contact marking 1964 uplift of Montague Island, Alaska

link

#### Stratigraphic contact marking 1964 uplift of Montague Island, Alaska

link

Stratigraphic contact marking uplift of Montague Island, caused by slip on the Patton Bay fault system during the 1964 M9.2 Great ALaska Earthquake. 

Alaska Science Center

Geologists' camp on Unga Island, Alaska

August 7, 2016

#### Geologists' camp on Unga Island, Alaska

link

USGS geologists' camp overlooking Unga Village on Unga Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

August 7, 2016

#### Geologists' camp on Unga Island, Alaska

link

#### Geologists' camp on Unga Island, Alaska

link

USGS geologists' camp overlooking Unga Village on Unga Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

Sediment core showing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

August 7, 2015

#### Sediment core showing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

Sediment core showing sandy tsunami deposits over soil from an upland environment on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

August 7, 2015

#### Sediment core showing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

#### Sediment core showing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

Sediment core showing sandy tsunami deposits over soil from an upland environment on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

Soil pit on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

July 31, 2015

#### Soil pit on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

Soil pit exposing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

July 31, 2015

#### Soil pit on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

#### Soil pit on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska

link

Soil pit exposing tsunami deposits on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

USGS team looking at a tsunami-rafted log above Stardust Bay, Alaska

August 8, 2012

#### USGS team looking at a tsunami-rafted log above Stardust Bay, Alaska

link

USGS Alaska Earthquake Hazards research team investigates a tsunami-rafted drift log high above sea level at Stardust Bay, Sedanka Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

August 8, 2012

#### USGS team looking at a tsunami-rafted log above Stardust Bay, Alaska

link

#### USGS team looking at a tsunami-rafted log above Stardust Bay, Alaska

link

USGS Alaska Earthquake Hazards research team investigates a tsunami-rafted drift log high above sea level at Stardust Bay, Sedanka Island, Alaska.

Alaska Science Center

Below are publications associated with this project.

February 20, 2018

####                 Plateau subduction, intraslab seismicity, and the Denali (Alaska) volcanic gap              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

February 1, 2017

####                 Paleoseismic potential of sublacustrine landslide records in a high-seismicity setting (south-central Alaska)              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Landslide Hazards Program, Alaska Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

September 19, 2016

####                 Evidence for shallow megathrust slip across the Unalaska seismic gap during the great 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake, eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska              

Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center

June 1, 2016

####                 Extending Alaska's plate boundary: tectonic tremor generated by Yakutat subduction              

Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

November 30, 2015

####                 Unusually large tsunamis frequent a currently creeping part of the Aleutian megathrust              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

July 1, 2015

####                 Tsunami recurrence in the eastern Alaska-Aleutian arc: A Holocene stratigraphic record from Chirikof Island, Alaska              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

May 1, 2015

####                 Intertidal biological indicators of coseismic subsidence during the Mw 7.8 Haida Gwaii, Canada, earthquake              

Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center

February 4, 2015

####                 Beach ridges as paleoseismic indicators of abrupt coastal subsidence during subduction zone earthquakes, and implications for Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone paleoseismology, southeast coast of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Subduction Zone Science

April 1, 2014

####                 Little late Holocene strain accumulation and release on the Aleutian megathrust below the Shumagin Islands, Alaska              

Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Alaska Science Center

March 31, 2014

####                 Uplift and subsidence reveal a nonpersistent megathrust rupture boundary (Sitkinak Island, Alaska)              

Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center