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CURRENT RESEARCH

Here's a summary of most of the current research going on in my group:

(1) Alaskan volcanoes - we are working on a major survey of earthquakes and
structure at active Alaskan volcanoes, to provide a framework for understanding
earthquake activity at these volcanoes and provide a possible means for
identifying pre-eruption earthquake activity prior to future eruptions.  We
have been studying Redoubt, Mt. Spurr, Augustine, Great Sitkin, and
Illiamna, and Okmok volcanoes, and have begun a new study of the Katmai
area.

(2) Subduction zones - we are continuing our work on the structure of
and seismicity within subducting lithosphere slabs.  We recently completed
a study of the Sumatra subduction zone, following the devastating 2004
and 2005 earthquakes there.  Next year, we hope to begin a new project to study
the recent large earthquake in Chile.

(3) San Andreas Fault - following our recent work related to the San Andreas
Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), we are pursuing studies on seismic and
resistivity structure using a joint inversion approach, geodetic studies of fault
slip during the 2004 Parkfield earthquake, and investigation of the regional
state of stress.

(4) Hawaiian volcano - we are analyzing seismic data for earthquakes triggered by
a slow slip event on the fault beneath the south flank of Kilauea volcano, which were
captured by a temporary array deployed in anticipation of the slow slip event.  As
part of this work, we are attempting to resolve some long-standing controversies about
the nature and geometry of this fault, which has been the source of magnitude > 7
earthquakes in the past.  We have also begun an investigation of temporal change
in earthquake coda waves to detect changes in stress and strain within Kilauea.
Another new project is an ocean bottom seismometer study of the undersea volcano
Loihi.

(5) California regional-scale crustal structure - following our work to develop a
state-wide 3-D seismic velocity model, we are currently focusing on the velocity
and attenuation structure of the Sacramento River Delta region, an area of
extremely high seismic risk.