Fenglin Niu
- Ph.D. Geophysics (1997) University of Tokyo
- M.S. Geophysics (1994) University of Tokyo
- B.S. Geophysics (1988) University of Science and Technology of China
- Global Seismology, Seismic Structure of Earth's Deep Interior, Earthquake Physics and Stress Monitoring
E-mail: geol@rice.edu
Phone: (713) 348-4122
Office: 316 Keith-Wiess Geology Labs
Web Address:
Dr. Niu's Personal Webpage
Research Statement
We focus on determining the seismic structure of Earth's deep interior to understand its chemical composition and dynamic processes. We have applied and developed many techniques to map the fine seismic structures at various depths. A variety of research projects including the inner core hemisphericity and anisotropy, fine seismic structure near the core-mantle boundary, seismic reflectors in the mid-mantle depths, lateral variation of the mantle transition zone structure, the crust-mantle transition and depth distribution of seismic anisotropy is ongoing in our group.
(1) Inner core hemisphericity and anisotropy (2) Fine seismic structures near the core-mantle boundary (CMB) (3) Seismic heterogeneities in the middle and lower mantle (4) Lateral variation of mantle transition-zone structure (5) Fine seismic structures of the lowermost crust and crust-mantle transition (6) Depth distribution of seismic anisotropy (7) Seismic imaging of stress/strain transients
We studied systematically the seismic structure at the top of the inner core by using differential travel times and waveforms of the PKiKP and PKIKP. We have discovered that the outermost 100 km of the inner core has a hemispherically distributed heterogeneous structure, rather than an anisotropic one. A recent study suggests that hemispherical distribution of temperature above the ICB may be produced by downwellings in the mantle. Therefore, the implication of the presence of a different layer in the outermost region of the inner core is very important to our understanding of the physical process of inner-core growth, and also of mantle dynamics. We are currently studying the transition between this boundary layer and the deeper anisotropic portion of the inner core, as well as the east-west transitions.
The nature of heterogeneities in the lower mantle is important in understanding Earth's evolution. The seismic signatures of the lower mantle heterogeneities generally appear to be more subtle than those of the upper mantle except for the lowermost several hundreds of kilometers. We have observed clear later arrivals 40-90 seconds after P wave at seismic stations in Japan (J-array) from deep earthquakes that occurred in the Mariana and the western end of the Indonesia subduction zones and found that these later arrivals are generated at underneath velocity reflectors (discontinuities) at depths around 1000 kilometers. We are currently working on the details of the lateral extension and seismic properties of the mid-mantle reflectors in order to understand the possible mechanisms capable of producing these seismic structures.
We have worked on the transition zone structure beneath the South Pacific Superswell and surrounding regions. We have modified the stacking technique used in the previous studies and found that the transition zone is about 25 km thinner than normal, and thus hotter than normal, over an area 500 km or less in diameter beneath the Society hotspot. There is no general difference, however, in transition-zone thickness between the Superswell area and its surroundings. Our observations support the inference that thermal and mass fluxes from lower to upper mantle beneath the South Pacific Superswell occur on the lateral scale of a mantle plume (several hundred kilometers) rather than that of a superplume (several thousand kilometers). We are currently applying the same technique to the other tectonic regions.
Publications
M. Miller, F. Niu "Bulldozing the core-mantle boundary: localized seismic scatterers beneath the Caribbean Sea." Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 170 (2008): 89-94.
B. Wang, P. Zhu, Y. Chen, F. Niu, B. Wang, Continuous in-situ measurement of stress-induced travel time variation with coda interferometry, J. Geophys. Res., 113, B12313, doi:10.1029/2007JB005023, 2008
L. Li, Q.-F. Chen, F. Niu, H. Fu, R. Liu, and Y. Hou "Deformation rate along the Lijiang-Ninglang deformation zone estimated from repeating microearthquakes,." Chinese Science Bulletin, 53 (2008): 10.1007/s11434-008-0406-2.
Taka'aki Taira, Paul G. Silver, F. Niu , R.M. Nadeau "Detecting seismogenic stress evolution and constraining fault-zone rheology in the San Andreas Fault following the 2004 Parkfield Earthquake." J. Geophys. Res., 113 (2008): B03303, doi:10.1029/2007JB00515.
Constraints on Mantle Flow at the Caribbean-South American Plate Boundary Inferred from Shear Wave Splitting
F. Niu, P. Silver, T. Daley, X. Cheng, E. Majer "Prerupture Dilatancy Observed from Active Source Monitoring at the Parkfield SAFOD Drill Site." Nature, 454 (2008): doi:10.1038/nature07111.
F. Niu, Q.-F. Chen "Seismic evidence for a distinctly anisotropic innermost inner core." Nature Geoscience, 1 (2008): 692-696.
X. He, H.-L. Zhou, Y.-L. Ma, F. Niu "Synthetic study on SS waveform splitting and complication." Acta Seismologica Sinica, 30(10) (2008): 44-54.
J. Li, Q.-F., Chen, E. Vanacore, F. Niu "Topography of the 660-km discontinuity beneath northeast China: Implications for a retrograde motion of the subducting Pacific slab." Geophys. Res. Lett., 35 (2008): L01302, doi:10.1029/2007GL031658.
M. Miller, A. Levander, F. Niu, A. Li, Upper mantle structure beneath the Caribbean-South American plate boundary from surface wave tomography, J. Geophys. Res., 114, B01311, doi:10.1029/2007JB005507, 2009
P. Silver, T. Daley, F. Niu, E. Majer "Active source monitoring of crosswell seismic travel time for stress induced changes." Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 97 (2007): 281-293.
F. Niu, T. Baldwin, G. Pavlis, F. Vernon, H. Rendon, A. Levander "Receiver Function Study of the Crustal Structure of the Southeastern Caribbean Plate Boundary and Venezuela." J. Geophys. Res, 112 (2007): B11308, doi:10.1029/2006JB004802.
N. Liu, Q.-F., Chen, F. Niu, Y. Chen "Rupture of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake inferred from direct P-wave imaging." Chinese Science Bulletin, 52 (2007): 1986-1991.
X. Cheng, F. Niu, P. Silver, S. Horiuchi, K. Takai, Y. Iio, and H. Ito "Similar microearthquakes observed in western Nagano, Japan and implications for rupture mechanics." J. Geophys. Res, 112 (2007): B04306, doi:10.1029/2006JB004416.
L. Li, Q.-F. Chen, X. Cheng, F. Niu "Spatial clustering and repeating of seismic events observed along the 1976 Tangshan fault, North China." Geophys. Res. Lett., 34 (2007): L23309, doi:10.1029/2007GL031594.
E. Vanacore, F. Niu, H. Kawakatsu "Observations of the mid-mantle discontinuity beneath Indonesia from S to P converted waveforms." Geophysical Research Letter, 33 (2006): 10.1029/2005GL025106.
A. Levander, F. Niu, C.-T.A. Lee, and X. Cheng, "Imag(in)ing the Continental Lithosphere." Tectonophysics, 416 (2006): 167-185.
C.-T. A. Lee, A. Lenardic, C.M. Cooper, F. Niu, A. Levander "The role of chemical boundary layers in regulating the thickness of continental and oceanic thermal boundary layers." Earth Planetary Science Letter, 230 (2005): 379-395.
F. Niu, A. Levander, S. Ham, M. Obayashi "Mapping the subducting Pacific slab beneath southwest Japan with Hi-net receiver functions." Earth Planetary Science Letter, 239 (2005): 9-17.
A. Levander, F. Niu, "Imaging teleseismic P to S scattered waves using the Kirchhoff integral." AGU Monograph: Analysis of Broadband Seismograms, edited by A. Levander and G. Nolet (2005): 149-169.
D. Suetsugu, T. Saita, H. Takenaka, F. Niu "Thickness of the mantle transition zone beneath the South Pacific as inferred from analyses of ScS reverberated and Ps converted waves." Physics of The Earth and Planetary Interiors, 146 (2004): 135-146.
F. Niu, A.M. Perez "Seismic anisotropy in the lower mantle: a comparison of waveform splitting of SKS and SKKS." Geophysical Research Letter (2004).(In Press)
F. Niu, A. Levander, C.M. Cooper, C.-T. Aeolus Lee, A. Lenardic, D.E. James "Seismic Constraints on the Depth and Composition of the Mantle Keel beneath the Kaapvaal Craton." Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 224 (2004): 337-346.
Niu, F., P.G. Silver, R.M. Nadeau, T.V. McEvilly "Stress-Induced Migration of Seismic Scatterers Associated with the 1993 Parkfield Aseismic Transient." Nature, 426 (2003): 544-548.
F. Niu, H. Kawakatsu, Y. Fukao "Seismic evidence for a chemical heterogeneity in the midmantle: A strong and slightly dipping seismic reflector beneath the Mariana subduction zone." J. Geophys. Res., 108 (2003).
L. Wen, Niu, F. "Seismic velocity and attenuation structures in the top of the Earth's inner core." Journal of Geophysical Research (2002): 10.1029/2001JB000170.
Niu, F., L. Wen "Seismic anisotropy in the top 400 km of the inner core beneath the 'eastern' hemisphere." Geophysical Research Letters, 29 (2002): 10.1029/2001GL014118.
Niu, F., S.C. Solomon, P.G. Silver, D. Suetsugu, H. Inoue "Mantle Transition-zone Structure beneath the South Pacific Superswell and Evidence for a Mantle Plume underlying the Society Hotspot." Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 198 (2002): 371-380.
Niu, F., D.E. James "Fine structure of the lowermost crust beneath the Kaapvaal craton and its implications for crustal formation and evolution." Earth Planetary Science Letters, 200 (2002): 121-130.
Niu, F., L. Wen "Hemispherical variations in seismic velocity at the top of the Earth's inner-core." Nature, 410 (2001): 1081-1084.
T. Iidaka, Niu, F. "Mantle and crust anisotropy in the eastern China region as inferred from waveform splitting of SKS and PpSms." Earth, Planets and Space, 53 (2001): 159-168.
T. Iidaka, Niu, F. "Seismic anisotropy beneath the Lau back-arc basin as inferred from a comparison of splitting data between sScS and ScS." Geophysical Research Letters, 28 (2001): 863-867.
Niu, F., L. Wen "Strong seismic scatterers near the core-mantle boundary west of Mexico." Geophysical Research Letters, 28 (2001): 3557-3560.
T. Iidaka, Niu, F. "Upper mantle anisotropy beneath back-arc basin (in Japanese)." Chikyu Monthly (Earth), 23 (2001): 64-69.
Niu, F., H. Inoue, D. Suetsugu, K. Kanjo "Seismic evidence for a thinner mantle transition zone beneath the South Pacific Superswell." Geophysical Research Letters, 27 (2000): 1981-1984.
Niu, F. "Mantle transition zone discontinuities structure as determined by conversion waves (in Japanese)." Chikyu Monthly (Earth), 20 (1998): 381-387.
T. Iidaka, Niu, F. "Evidence for an anisotropic lower mantle beneath eastern Asia: Comparison of shear-wave splitting data of SKS and P660s." Geophysical Research Letters, 25 (1998): 675-678.
Niu, F., H. Kawakatsu "Determination of the absolute depths of the mantle transition zone discontinuities beneath China: effect of stagnant slabs on mantle transition zone discontinuities." Earth, Planets and Space, 50 (1998): 965-975.
L. Vinnik, Niu, F., H. Kawakatsu "Broadband converted phases from mid-mantle discontinuities." Earth, Planets and Space, 50 (1998): 987-997.
Niu, F., H. Kawakatsu "Depth variation of the mid-mantle seismic discontinuity." Geophysical Research Letters, 24 (1997): 429-432.
Niu, F., H. Kawakatsu "Complex structure of the mantle discontinuities at the tip of the subducting slab beneath the northeast China: A preliminary investigation of broadband receiver functions." Journal of Physicis of the Earth, 44 (1996): 701-711.
Niu, F., H. Kawakatsu "Direct evidence for the undulation of the 660-km discontinuity beneath Tonga: Comparison of Japan and California array data." Geophysical Research Letters, 22 (1995): 531-534.
H. Kawakatsu, Niu, F. "Seismic evidence for a 920-km discontinuity in the mantle." Nature, 371 (1994): 301-305.
H. Kawakastu, Niu, F. "New discontinuity in the lower mantle: Deep structure as "viewing" by the J-array (in Japanese)." Kagaku (Science), 64 (1994): 701-707.
Presentations
"Seismic Imaging of Stress Transient." American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.. (15-19 December, 2008) With P. Silver, T Daley, R. Nadeau, T. Taira, X. Cheng, E. Majer.
First author, delivered the talk. "Temporal Variations of Seismogram Similarities: a new approach to the time-varying stress field." 2003 IRIS/UNAVCO annual workshop, Yosemite, California. (June 19-21) With P.G, Silver.
"The distinct uppermost and innermost of the inner core." MIT, Boston, USA. (April 4, 2007)
Presentator. "Measuring Anisotropy in the Oceanic Upper Mantle from Splitting in SS Waveforms." Joint Meeting of AGU,CGU, EEGS and SEG, Montreal, Canada. (17-21 May, 2004) With P.G. Silver, M.D. Behn.
"Developing a Methodology for Observing Stress-Induced Temporal Variations in Travel Time: A Progress Report." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (December 5-9) With P.G. Silver, T.M. Daley, E.L. Majer.
"NorthEast China Extended SeiSmic Array (NECESSArray): Deep Subduction, Mantle Dynamics, and Continental Evolution beneath Northeast China." AGU Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting, Beijing. (7/24/06-7/27/06) With S. Grand, Y. Chen, H. Kawakatsu, J. Ni, M. Obayashi, S. Tanaka.
"Seismic discontinuities/scatterers in the mid-mantle." Department Seminar, Beijing University. (13 June 2004)
T. Daley, and E. Majer. "Developing a Methodology for Measuring Stress-Induced Temnporal Variations in Seismic Velocity: Successful Use of Barometric Pressure and Solid-Earth Tides as Calibration Signal." International workshop on Active Monitoring in the Solid Earth Geophysics, Mizunami, Japan. (30 June - 3 July 2004) With P.G. Silver, .
"East-west hemispherical dichotomy of seismic structure at the top of the inner core." Texas A &M University, College Station, Texas, USA. (9 September 2004)
"Pre-Stack Kirchhoff Depth Migrated Images of the Upper Mantle." AGU 2005 Joint Assembly, New Orleans. (May 23-27) With A Levander, S Ham.
"Seismic Evidence for Remote Triggering of Fault-Strength Changes on the San Andreas Fault at Parkfield." American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.. (15-19 December, 2008) With T. Taira, P. G. Silver, R. M. Nadeau.
"Continuous Crosswell Seismic Measurement: Applications to Monitoring of Stress and CO 2." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With T. M. Daley, P. G. Silver, E. L. Majer, S. M. Benson.
"The Moho and the Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary under the western U.S. from USArray PdS Receiver Functions." American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.. (15-19 December, 2008) With A. Levander, M. S. Miller.
"Developing a Methodology for Measuring Stress-Induced Temporal Variations in Seismic Velocity: Successful Use of Barometric Pressure on Solid-Earth Tides as Calibration Signals." SSA Annual Meeting, Palm Springs, California, USA. (13-16 April, 2004) With P.G. Silver.
Presentator. "Depth of the tectosphere beneath Kaapvaal craton." Joint Meeting of AGU,CGU, EEGS and SEG, Montreal, Canada. (17-21 May, 2004) With A. Levander, C.M. Cooper, C.-T. A. Lee, A. Lenardic, D.E. James.
Presentator. "Can we achieve consistent inner-core models from ISC travel-time data and waveform data." AGU, San Francisco, California. (12/08/03-12/12/03) With Obayashi M., Wen L.
"Receiver-function imaging of the crustal and mantle structure beneath South Africa: a comparison of stacking and migration." AGU, San Francisco, California. (12/08/03-12/12/03) With Levander, A.
"The Global Seismographic Network and the Earth's Inner Core." Joint Meeting of AGU,CGU, EEGS and SEG, Montreal, Canada. (17-21 May, 2004) With L. Wen, W.-C. Yu.
"On the possible role of chemical boundary layers in regulating the thermal thickness of continents and oceans." Joint Meeting of AGU,CGU, EEGS and SEG, Montreal, Canada. (17-21 May, 2004) With C.-T. A. Lee, A. Lenardic, C.M. Cooper, A. Levander.
"Imaging the Subducting Pacific Slab Beneath Southwestern Japan." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (December 5-9) With F Niu, S Ham, M Obayashi.
First Author, Presentator. "Physical property of a chemical heterogeneity in the mid-mantle: seismic evidence for an oceanic crust in the mid-mantle." AGU, San Francisco. (12/08/03 - 12/12/03) With Kawakatsu H, Fukao Y.
"Constraints on seismic anisotropy of the innermost inner core from observations of antipode PKIIKP phases." AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco. (12/11/06-12/15/06)
"Developing a methodology for imaging stress transients at seismogenic depth." AGU, San Francisco. (12/08/03-12/12/03) With Valette-Silver N, Silver P, Daley T Majer E.
"Receiver function images of the lithosphere in the western U.S.." GSA Annual Meeting, Denver, USA. (October 28-31 2007) With A. Levander and M. S. Miller.
"Continuous in-situ measurement of stress-induced travel time variation at Parkfield." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (12/11/06-12/15/06) With X. Cheng, P.G. Silver, T. Daley, E.L. Majer.
"Imaging mid-mantle structure beneath South America using S to P converted waveforms." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (12/11/06-12/15/06) With E. Vanacore.
"Joint inversion of teleseismic receiver functions and Rayleigh wave dispersion for crustal and upper mantle structures: a comparison of linear and nonlinear inversions." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With Y. Ma, H. Zhou, Y. Chen.
"The possible role of chemical boundary layers in regulating the thermal thickness of continents and oceans." GSA Fall Meeting, Denver, Colorado. (November 7-10, 2004) With C.-T. A. Lee, A. Lenardic, C.M. Cooper, A. Levander.
"Developing a Methodology for Measuring Stress Transients at Seismogenic Depth." AGU 2005 Joint Assembly, New Orleans. (May 23-27) With P.G. Silver, T. Daley, E. Majer.
"Developing a methodology for measuring stress transients at seismogenic depth." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (13-17 December, 2004) With P.G. Silver, T. Daley, and E. Majer.
"USArray Receiver Function Images of the Lithosphere in the Western U.S." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With A. Levander, M. S. Miller, Y. Zhai, K. Liu.
"Multimode Imaging of Seismic Coda Waves for Detecting the Fault-zone Heterogeneous Structure of the San Andreas Fault at Parkfield, California." SSA Annual Meeting, Hyatt Regency - Incline Village, Nevada. (April 27 - 29, 2005 ) With Taira, T., Silver, P., Nadeau, R.M.
"Scattered wavefield within the San Andreas Fault system." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (13-17 December, 2004) With T. Taira, P.G.Silver, R.M. Nadeau.
"Seismic Evidence for a Vertical Tear in the South American Lithosphere Offshore Venezuela." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With S. A. Clark, A. Levander, C. A. Zelt, M. Sobiesiak, and M. B. Magnani.
"Shear Wave Splitting Observations on the Caribbean-South American Plate Boundary: Evidence for Vertically Coherent Deformation Induced by Trench Rollback." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With M, Growdon, G. Pavlis.
"Tearing the lithosphere: Diachronous slab detachment along the Venezuelan margin from BOLIVAR seismic data." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (12/11/06-12/15/06) With S. Clark, A. Levander.
"Upper mantle structure beneath the Caribbean – South American plate boundary from surface wave tomography." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With M. S. Miller, A. Levander.
"Continuous in-situ measurement of stress-induced travel time variation with coda interferometry." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (12/11/06-12/15/06) With B. Wang, P. Zhu, Y. Chen, B. Wang.
"A Mechanism of Slab Stagnation in The Mantle Transition Zone." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (12/11/06-12/15/06) With Y. Fukao, M. Obayashi, T. Nakakuki, T. Irifune, D. Yamazaki.
"Prerupture Dilatancy Observed from Active Source Monitoring at the Parkfield SAFOD Drill Site." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With P. Silver, T. Daley, E. Majer.
First author. "Continuous in-situ measurement of stress-induced travel time variation at Parkfield." EarthScope National Meeting, Monterey, CA., USA.. (March 27-30) With P. G. Silver, T. Daley, E.L. Majer.
Presenter. "Crustal Structure Beneath China Inferred from Receiver Function and Apparent SS wave Splitting." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (December 5-9) With W D Mooney.
"Anomalous top layer in the inner core beneath the eastern hemisphere." AGU, San Francisco. (12/08/03-12/12/03) With Wen L., Yu W., SUNY.
"CRUSTAL THICKNESS VARIATIONS IN THE SOUTHEASTER CARIBBEAN AND VENEZUELA AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR CONTINENTAL GROWTH." IRIS annual workshop, Tucson, Arizona . (6/8/06-6/10/06) With F. Niu, G. Pavlis, F. Vernon, H Rendon.
"Search for mid-mantle discontinuities at approximately 1000 km depth in South America using S to P conversions and SS precursors." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (December 5-9) With E.A. Vanacore.
"Subduction Geometry at the Southeastern Caribbean Plate Boundary Inferred from BOLIVAR Receiver-function Images." American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.. (15-19 December, 2008) With J. Huang.
"Repeat microearthquakes observed in western Nagano, Japan and implications to rupture dynamics." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. With X Cheng, P Silver, S Horiuchi, K Takai.
"Slip Rates along the Yunnan Fault Zones Estimated From Repeating Microearthquakes,." American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.. (15-19 December, 2008) With Q. Chen, L. Li.
"Small-scale seismic heterogeneity near the inner core boundary: evidence from Indonesian earthquakes." SSA Annual meeting, Kona, Hawaii, USA. (April 11-13, 2007) With M. S. Miller.
"Evidence for a low velocity zone at the core-mantle boundary beneath the Gulf of Mexico." American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.. (15-19 December, 2008) With E. Vanacore, Y. Ma.
"Localized seismic scatterers near the core-mantle boundary beneath the Caribbean Sea : evidence from PKP precursors." AGU Joint Assembly, Acapulco, Mexico. (May 22-25) With M. S. Miller.
"A Simultaneous Imaging Method of Multiple Scattering Modes for Detecting a Fault-Zone Heterogeneous Structure of the San Andreas Fault, Parkfield, California." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (December 5-9) With T. Taira, P.G. Silver, R.M. Nadeau.
"Crustal and Mantle Structure of the Jalisco Block of western Mexico from Surface Wave Tomography." American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.. (15-19 December, 2008) With X. Wang, J. Ni, S. Grand.
"Effects of lateral heterogeneities on receiver-function imaging: the case of subducting slab." AGU, San Francisco. (12/08/03-12/12/03) With Ham S, Levander A.
"Wide-angle velocity modeling and receiver functions imaging a lithospheric shear tear in the southeast Caribbean-South America plate boundary." AGU Joint Assembly,, Acapulco, Mexico.. (May 22-25, 2007) With S. A. Clark, A. Levander, C. A. Zelt, M. Sobiesiak.
"Images of continental lithospheric bending, tearing, and rebound in the southeastern Caribbean plate boundary." GSA Annual Meeting, Denver, USA. (October 28-31 2007) With A. Levander, C. A. Zelt, M. S. Miller, S. Clark, M. Bezada, M. Sobiesiak, G. Pavlis, M. Schmitz.
"Sub Moho boundary beneath island arc, Japan." American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.. (15-19 December, 2008) With , T. Iidaka, T. Igarashi, C.-T. Lee, T. Iwasaki.
"Kirchhoff Migration of Synthetic Receiver Functions: Subducting Slabs and Mantle Discontinuities." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (December 5-9) With S. Ham, A. Levander.
"High Resolution Transition Zone Structures beneath Western USA." American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.. (15-19 December, 2008) With A. Cao, A. Levander, M. S. Miller.
"Seismic Structure of the Leeward Antilles Arc and Growth of the South American continent." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (December 5-9) With A.T. Arogunmati, C.A. Zelt, A. Levander.
"Source mechanism of the 2006 M5.1 Wen'an Earthquake determined from a joint inversion of local and teleseismic broadband waveform data." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With J. Huang, S. Ni, R. Fu.
"Mapping the D" Discontinuity beneath Northern Pacific and Aleutians With USArray and California Seismic Networks." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (12/11/06-12/15/06) With J. Hawthorne.
"Crustal Thickness Variations along the Southeastern Caribbean Plate Boundary from Teleseismic and Active Source Seismic Data." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (12/11/06-12/15/06) With M. Bezada, T. Baldwin, G. Pavlis, F. Vernon, H Rendon, C. Zelt, M. Schmitz. A. Levander.
"A search for temporal variations in the scattered wavefield associated with the 1993 Parkfield aseismic transient event: a calibration between borehole and surface instruments." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (13-17 December, 2004) With X. Cheng, P.G. Silver, R. M. Nadeau.
"Direct Detection of Temporal Variations in Seismic Scatterers at Seismogenic Depth Attributed to the 2004 Parkfield Earthquake." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (12/11/06-12/15/06) With T. Taira, P.G. Silver, R.M. Nadeau.
"Seismic anisotropy in the lower mantle: a comparison of waveform splitting of SKS and SKKS." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (13-17 December, 2004) With A. Perez.
"A synthesis on lower mantle reflectors/scatterers and discontinuities beneath the western Pacific subduction zones." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (13-17 December) With E. Vanacore, H. Kawakatsu.
"Spatial clustering and repeating of seismic events observed along the 1976 Tangshan fault, North China." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With L. Li, Q.-F. Chen, X. Cheng.
"Waveform Inversion of the Teleseismic Wavefield." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (12/11/06-12/15/06) With Y. He, A. Levander.
"Dynamic Weakening of the San Andreas Fault by the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With T. Taira, P. G. Silver, and R. M. Nadeau.
"Mantle discontinuities beneath Japan determined from CCP stacking of receiver functions." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.. (13-17 December) With S. Ham, A. Levander, M. Obayashi.
"Mantle Structure at Tectonic Corners: an Investigation of Venezuela and SE Alaska Using Shear-wave Splitting Measurements." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco. (12/11/06-12/15/06) With M. Growdon, G. Pavlis.
Presentator. "P to S scattered-wave imaging of the subducting slabs beneath Japan." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (13-17 December, 2004) With A. Levander, M. Obayashi.
"Seismic imaging of scatterer migration using waveform data of repeating earthquakes." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With X. Cheng, P. G. Silver, R. M. Nadeau.
"Topography of the 660-km discontinuity beneath northeast China : Implications for a retrograde motion of the subducting Pacific slab." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With J. Li, Q.-F., Chen, E. Vanacore.
"Searching for Seismic Signatures of a Plume Source at the Base of the Mantle below the Galapagos Island Hotspot." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With E. Vanacore.
"Seismic evidence for a distinctly anisotropic innermost inner core." AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, California, USA. (10-14 December, 2007) With Q.-F. Chen.
"East-west hemispherical dichotomy of seismic structures at the top of the inner core - a cold war?." New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM . (2/26/06)
"Crustal and Mantle Seismic Structure beneath Southern Africa: Depth of the Tectosphere." Institute of Earthquake Science, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing. (6/26/06)
"Seismic discontinuities/scatterers in the mid-mantle." State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY. (7/24/2006)
"Array Seismology: Imaging Structure, Stress and Processes." Institute of Earthquake Science, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing. (10/26/2006)
Theses
Kartik Mutnuri, M.S. "Diffuse Oceanic Plate Boundaries: Kinematic Observations and Dynamic Constraints." (2005).(Committee Member)
Li Zhang, Ph. D. "A General Kinetic Model: Kinetics and Atomic-Scale Mechanism of Feldspar." (2007).(Committee Member)
Elizabeth Vanacore, Ph. D. "Determining the Nature of Middle and Lower Mantle Heterogeneity ." (2008).(Thesis or Dissertation Director)
Xin Cheng, Ph. D. "Time-Lapse Imaging of Fault Properties at Seismogenic Depth ." (2009).(Thesis or Dissertation Director)
Awards
CAREER Award , National Science Fundation. (December 6, 2007).
Positions Held
GSN Standing Committee, IRIS. (3/1/2006 - 2/28/2009).
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