Month: January 2018

AACSE Apply to Sail – Deadline is today (Jan 22, 2018)

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Apply to Sail with the Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment

Application Deadline: TODAY January 22, 2018
Apply: /research/community-projects/alaska/aacse-apply-sail/application-form/
Cruise Dates (+/- 3 days):
  • Leg 1: May 9 – May 29, 2018 (arrive three days before departure)
  • Leg 2: July 11 – July 25, 2018 (arrive two days before departure)
Graduate students and scientists at all career stages are invited to sail with two OBS deployment legs of the Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE) during the late spring and early summer of 2018. The AACSE is major shoreline-crossing community experiment focusing on the subduction zone offshore the Alaska Peninsula, which has been the site of North America’s largest recorded earthquakes as well as major volcanic hazards. Data will be collected during the 15-month experiment using 75 broadband ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) and 30 land stations.
OBSs will be deployed in two legs in May and July of 2018 from the Global-Class R/V Sikuliaq. The PI team anticipates that berths for 5 to 7 additional students or scientists will be available on each leg. Participants should be willing to work long hours at sea, in close quarters, and in challenging conditions. Duties of participants will include assisting in OBS deployments, documentation of the expedition, preparation of cruise reports, and documenting the cruise via social media. Travel costs to the departure port (Seward, AK) will be paid for Apply to Sail participants, but no stipend is included.
To apply to sail with the AACSE deployment, each applicant should submit a 2-page CV, a brief statement of interest, and a statement of relevant experience.  Applicants who will be graduate students during the summer of 2018 should also submit a letter of support from their graduate advisor. Applications should be submitted at the AACSE Apply to Sail website by January 22, 2018. Please direct any questions about the Apply to Sail program to Aubreya Adams (aadams@colgate.edu).

Job Posting: Federal Research Geologists, Postdoc, Director NTWC

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1) Two Federal Research Geologist positions in Petrology and Mineralogy – Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History

2) Postdoctoral Scholar Position in Geodynamics – University of Minnesota
3) Director GS-15 Supervisory Physical Scientist – National Tsunami Warning Center

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1) Two positions in Petrology and Mineralogy at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History

The Department of Mineral Sciences within the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, is advertising two Federal Research Geologist positions. Both positions are US Federal Civil Service positions; US citizenship is required. One position is in the field of PETROLOGY, with a focus on crustal rocks, including, but not limited to, metamorphic rocks, granites and intrusive rocks, ore deposits, and continental rocks. One position is in the field of MINERALOGY. Successful candidates will have strong publication records commensurate with level of experience. All application materials must be submitted through USA Jobs; materials sent to members of the Department, including the contacts below, will not be considered. Use the appropriate announcement number when submitting application materials through USA Jobs.  Applicants that wish to be considered for both jobs must submit two separate application packages.

Both positions are full-time 4-year term appointments with full Government benefits and are comparable to tenure-track positions.  GS-1350-12; US citizenship required.  The museum’s authorized salary range for these positions at this time is $79,720 – $85,035 per annum.  For complete requirements and application procedures go to https://www.si.edu/OHR/jobs_public or www.usajobs.gov and refer to Announcement 18A-JW-303331-DEU-NMNH (Petrology) or 18A-JW-303332-DEU-NMNH (Mineralogy).  Applications must be received by Feb. 2, 2018 and must reference the announcement number. All applications will be notified by email when their application is received.  The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

For questions regarding the Petrology position, please contact Benjamin Andrews (andrewsb@si.edu).

For questions regarding the Mineralogy position, please contact Timothy McCoy (mccoyt@si.edu).

For additional information about the Department and the National Museum of Natural History please visit   http://mineralsciences.si.edu

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2) Postdoctoral Scholar Position in Geodynamics – University of Minnesota

We invite applications for a postdoctoral position in geodynamic modelling at the University of Minnesota to participate in a project that focuses on the investigation of the geometrical evolution of subducting slabs. Candidates with experience in finite element analysis and programming in Fortran are desired. Positions are available for one year with possibility of extension. The appointment start date is flexible, but May 2018 is preferred. Applications should include a brief statement of research experience and interests, dissertation abstract, and curriculum vitae with a publication list and contact information for three references. Interested applicants should contact Ikuko Wada (iwada@umn.edu) for more information. Applications should be submitted online at https://humanresources.umn.edu/jobs. Position requisition number is 318079.”

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3) Director GS-15 Supervisory Physical Scientist – National Tsunami Warning Center

The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center is seeking a Director, GS-15 Supervisory Physical Scientist.  We are a NOAA/NWS facility located in Palmer, Alaska, an outdoorsy town within easy driving distance of Anchorage. The NTWC is responsible for providing tsunami warning for the Canadian coasts and the coasts of all U.S. states except for Hawaii.  This involves rapidly characterizing major earthquakes, determining their tsunamigenic potential, forecasting tsunami arrival times and coastal inundation, and disseminating appropriate warning and informational products based on this information.

Unfortunately, the job is not open to the general public. It is open to multiple groups including current and former federal employees, veterans, Peace Corps alumni, and individuals with disabilities. Please read the eligibility criteria carefully if you are interested in applying.

Duties include:

–  Supervise the National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) staff, which includes: assigning and evaluating work, counseling employees on work and administrative matters, interviewing candidates for positions, enforcing disciplinary matters, and identifying training for staff.

–  Oversee the administrative policy and operations of systems that disseminate tsunami warnings and watches at local, national, and international levels.

–  Execute research projects to test conceptual models and theories to improve tsunami warning system and forecast capability.

–  Make and maintain personal contacts with Federal agencies, international organizations, and foreign governments about seismic and tsunami data.

Payment of relocation expenses is authorized and a cost of living allowance is included.

For more details, qualifications, etc. please view the full announcement here: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/487800000

Announcement #  NWS-AR-2018-0013

Please share with any others who may be interested! The announcement closes on January 24.

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Please note, new job announcements (usually) will be distributed to the GeoPRISMS Listserv on the 1st and 15th of each month.

Subduction Hazard Science Town Hall and SZ4D Updates

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Hello Subduction Community,

I am writing to follow up from the AGU Town Hall on “Coordinating Subduction Hazard Science,” to recap what was presented in December in New Orleans and to fill in those of you who couldn’t make it. This is also an update on SZ4D activities in general.

The Town Hall was motivated by the release of four reports in the last 9 months, and we heard about each of them from the following individuals:

Harold Tobin (Univ. Wisconsin)
The SZ4D Initiative: Understanding the Processes that Underlie Subduction Zone Hazards in 4D (2017
(A Vision Document to NSF)
Michael Manga (UC Berkeley)
ERUPT: Volcanic Eruptions and Their Repose, Unrest, Precursors, and Timing (2017)
(A Report by the National Academy of Science)
Jenna Hill (USGS, Pacific Coastal and Marine Center)
Reducing Risk Where Tectonic Plates Collide (2017)
(USGS Circular)
https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/cir1428
Gerald Bawden (NASA, Earth Surface and Interior)
Thriving on Our Changing Planet: //A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space (2018)
(A Report by the National Academy of Science)

We then heard a series of 1-2 minute lightning presentations from representatives of different groups planning community projects:

  • Community Volcano Experiment (COVE) – Brandon Schmandt (New Mexico)
  • Experimental Workshop – Phil Skemer (Wash Univ, StL)
  • Modeling Collaboratory RCN – Amanda Thomas (Oregon)
  • Workshop on Volcanoes – Pete LaFeminia (Penn State)
  • Seafloor Geodesy – Andy Newman (GaTech)
  • IRIS International – Anne Meltzer (Lehigh)
  • Volcano Rapid Response RCN – David Fee (Univ of Alaska)

Short summaries of these ongoing community efforts appear below FYI, with folks to contact if you are interested in providing input or getting involved. Many of these efforts are in the gestation stage. Some are happening soon! For example, please note the Jan 15 deadline to apply for the Conference on Experimental Studies of Subduction Zone Processes! Note that an Umbrella SZ4D Research Coordination Network is being planned that would provide a web site and central clearinghouse for this kind of Subduction Community information in the future.

There are a lot of subduction-related workshops, working groups, community efforts being planned for the future – please plan to participate!

– Terry Plank

Committee on Seismology and Geodynamics (COSG)

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What are the new research directions, challenges and needs for our community?

The Committee on Seismology and Geodynamics (COSG) is a standing committee within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Board on Earth Sciences and Resources. COSG serves to facilitate community discussion and community-agency interaction on issues related to the structure, dynamics, and evolution of the Earth. COSG helps to organize and oversee National Academies studies, workshops, and forums, and holds twice-yearly meetings on a variety of topics. Recent topics have included subduction zone science, high-performance computing, precision geodesy, and volcanism and volcanic hazards.

The committee is always looking for new topics to highlight and to focus these community-agency discussions in the future. You can find a full list of topics covered in the past, along with a list of current committee members on the COSG website: http://dels.nas.edu/global/besr/COSG. If you have suggestions, or want to know more, please reach out to one of the committee members or to Deborah Glickson, National Academies staff (dglickson@nas.edu).

Committee on Seismology and Geodynamics:
Richard Allen, Chair, University of California, Berkeley
Thorsten Becker, The University of Texas at Austin
Mark Behn, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Cynthia Ebinger, Tulane University
Steven Jacobsen, Northwestern University
Lisa Grant Ludwig, University of California, Irvine
Stephen McNutt, University of South Florida
Matthew Pritchard, Cornell University
Maya Tolstoy, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
Jeroen Tromp, Princeton University
William Walter, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Sherilyn Williams-Stroud, Confractus, Inc., and California State University, Los Angeles

Sessions of interest at the 2018 EGU General Assembly and AOGS Annual Meeting

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Please see below for sessions of interest to the GeoPRISMS Community, taking place at the 2018 EGU General Assembly in Vienna, Austria (8-13 April 2018) and the 2018 AOGS meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii (4-8 June 2018)

EGU abstract deadline is January 10, 2018

AOGS abstract deadline is January 19, 2018

EGU Sessions

TS6.3/GD6.4/SM2.15 – Formation and reactivation of small oceanic domains and hyperextended rift basins (co-organized)

Convener: Patricia Cadenas

Co-Conveners: Gabriela Fernández-Viejo, Gianreto Manatschal, Tim Minshull, J. Kim Welford

Confirmed invited speaker:  Gwenn Péron-Pinvidic (Geological Survey of Norway)

http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2018/session/27978

This session aims to bring together studies which deal with the structure and the tectonic evolution of small oceanic and hyperextended rift basins using geological, geophysical, geochemical, and numerical modelling approaches. Analysis of the crustal structure, the sedimentary infill, the subsidence history and the thermal evolution allows us to understand better the evolution of these basins and the associated rifting, breakup processes and the influence of rift inheritance on their subsequent compressional reactivation due to stress field changes.

Please, inform your colleagues and students that may be interested in presenting their research in this session.

Looking forward to your contributions and to meeting you in Vienna

The conveners

Patricia Cadenas (U. Oviedo), Gianreto Manatschal (U. Strasbourg), Tim Minshull (U. of Southampton), Kim Welford (Memorial U. of Newfoundland) and Gabriela Fernández-Viejo (U. Oviedo)

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GD2.1/GMPV8.1/SM4.07 – Geodynamics of continental crust and upper mantle, and the nature of mantle discontinuities (co-organized)

Convener: Lev Vinnik

Co-Conveners: Hans Thybo, Alexey Shulgin

http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2018/session/26531

We invite, in particular multidisciplinary, contributions which focus on the structure and evolution of the continental crust and upper mantle and on the nature of mantle discontinuities. The latter include, but are not limited to, the mid-lithosphere discontinuity (MLD), the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB), and the mantle transition zone, as imaged by various seismological techniques and interpreted within interdisciplinary approaches. Papers with focus on the structure of the crust and the nature of the Moho are also welcome. Methodologically, the contributions will include studies based on seismic, thermal, gravity, petrological, and/or electro-magnetic data interpretations.

Instructions for submitting an abstract can be found at: https://www.egu2018.eu/abstract_management/how_to_submit_an_abstract.html

We hope that you have the opportunity to give a presentation at the upcoming EGU in Vienna 8-13 April.

Best regards,

The convenors: Lev Vinnik, Alexey Shulgin and Hans Thybo

AOGS Sessions

SE21 – Bridging Observations from Geology and Geodesy to Understand Tectonic Deformation over Multiple Timescales

Session Conveners

Dr. Aron Meltzner (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), meltzner@ntu.edu.sg

Dr. Ya-Ju Hsu (Academia Sinica, Taiwan), yaru@earth.sinica.edu.tw

Dr. Tadafumi Ochi (Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan), tadafumi.ochi@aist.go.jp

Dr. Yu-Nung Nina Lin (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), ynlin@ntu.edu.sg

Dr. Emma Hill (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), ehill@ntu.edu.sg

For more information on the AOGS 2018 conference, please visit:

http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2018/public.asp?page=home.htm

Tectonic processes occur at a variety of timescales, from seconds (coseismic) to weeks (short-term slow slip) to years (postseismic and long-term slow slip) to decades (interseismic) to millennia or longer (long-term deformation).  Studies focused on results derived from a single technique may not have sufficient context to assess how deformation evolves over time.  In order to address this important problem, we invite contributions in which results from multiple techniques are combined to explore tectonic deformation over multiple timescales.  We also encourage contributions that compare present to past behavior or that focus specifically on variability of tectonic deformation over long timescales.

Aron Meltzner, Ya-Ju Hsu, Tadafumi Ochi, Nina Lin, Emma Hill

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SE29 – Understanding Active Volcanoes Using Multidisciplinary Approaches

Convener: Clara Solaro

Co-Conveners: Helena Albert-Minguez, Fidel Costa, Paul Okubo, Yosuke Aoki

For more information on the AOGS 2018 conference, please visit:

http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2018/public.asp?page=home.htm

Asia and Oceania present regions with the highest concentration and number of active volcanoes on Earth. Many of them are capable of large explosive eruptions, producing high eruptive plumes or pyroclastic density currents. Tephra material can thus be spread over considerable distances and affect human settlements over large areas and/or long timescales, which makes studies of these volcanoes even more important.

A large panel of data and observations on the activity of these volcanoes should allow greater constraint of their eruptive systems. In particular, it is important to unravel the link between volcanic plumbing systems and the resulting eruption dynamics. Geophysical methods (seismology, deformation, infrasound), geochemical monitoring (gas emission, hydrothermalism), petrology/mineralogy studies and physical modelling are all valuable means for acquiring a better understanding of volcanic systems and processes. However, combining multiple areas of study on the same target (e.g. petrology with seismology or gas emission data) is key to significantly improving our understanding of volcanic systems.

In this session, we will explore the state-of-the-art of on-going research focusing on studies of magmatic plumbing system structure and dynamics that use a multiple (e.g. petrological plus geophysical) approach. We appreciate contributions from volcanological field and lab observations, as well as modelling and experimental results. We aim to foster the use of interdisciplinary approaches for the study of volcanic processes, representing progress toward possible interpretations of signs of unrest in terms of causal subterranean plumbing system process.

We hope you consider submitting an abstract and attending the conference.

Sincerely,

Dr. Clara Solaro

University of Hawaii at Manoa

School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, SOEST

1680 East-West Road POST 614

Honolulu, HI 96822

solaro@hawaii.edu

Dr. Helena Albert Minguez

Earth Observatory of Singapore

Nanyang Technological University

Singapore 639798

ahelena@ntu.edu.sg

Prof. Fidel Costa

Earth Observatory of Singapore

Nanyang Technological University

Singapore 639798

fcosta@ntu.edu.sg

Dr. Paul Okubo

United States Geological Survey

Volcano Science Center- Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

United States · Hawaii National Park, HI

pokubo@usgs.gov

Prof. Yosuke Aoki

Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo

1-1 Yayoi 1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan

yaoki@eri.u-tokyo.ac.jp