Constructing a Paleoseismic Record from Lacustrine Landslide Deposits

Abstract:

UCSC GEOPATHS is an NSF-supported initiative to improve student success in the geosciences, driven by a desire to broaden participation. One component of the program is undergraduate student internships that provide authentic, career-relevant experiences – across all employment sectors – to increase student engagement in the geoscience pipeline.

My GEOPATHS Internship at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Santa Cruz focused on analyzing sediment cores from marine and lacustrine environments to better understand paleoseismology. Lacustrine landslides serve as an excellent proxy of paleoearthquakes because seismically induced landslides in lake basins result in a synchronous distribution of sediment onto the lakebed. However, it is unclear if these submerged paleolandslides were caused by strong seismic shaking or by natural slope failure. To solve this problem, we examine several CT scans of sediment cores, collected by the team from Lake Ozette, WA and Lake Osos, CA, to correlate turbidites with known paleoseismic events. This internship allowed me to enhance my skills in GIS and Matlab, as well as exposed me to new analytical instrumentation (Adobe Illustrator, Multibeam Bathymetric Mapping, core analysis). I will share the results of my project and experiences in the program.