My research focuses on the structure and evolution of continental lithosphere, interactions between solid earth and surface processes, and faulting and deformation in the earth's crust and mantle lithosphere. As an observational seismologist much of my work involves the deployment of temporary seismic arrays in active collisional orogens and continental margins where dynamic processes can be observed in action. My current research uses earthquakes as sources to image earth structure, study earthquake source mechanisms, and infer physical properties. I also use active source reflection seismology and ground penetrating radar (GPR) to image the near-surface environment with applications to active tectonics, hydrology, and climate change. My research is collaborative with colleagues from other earth science disciplines at Lehigh and at other instituions in the US and abroad. In addition, I'm interested in how recent advances in seismic instrumentation and monitoring can be leveraged for effective hazard mitigation and risk reduction, particularly in emerging countries where rapid growth and economic development provide tremendous opportunities for advancement.
Anne Meltzer
Professor
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Research Areas
Additional Interests
- Seismology
- Tectonics
- Geodynamics
- Natural Hazards
Research Statement
Selected Publications
Hoskins, M., Meltzer, A. Font, Y., Agurto-Detzel, H., Vaca, S., Rolandone, F., Nocquet, J.M., Soto-Cordero, L., Stachnik, J., Beck, S., Lynner, C., Ruiz, M., Alvarado, A., Hernandez, S., Charvis, P., Regnier, M., Leon-Rios, S., Rietbrock, A., 2020, Triggered Crustal Earthqauke Swarm Across Subduction Segment Boundary After the 2016 Pedernales, Ecuador Megathrust Earthquake, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116620.
Sirait, A., Meltzer, A., Waldhauser, F., Stachnik, J., Daryono, D., Fatchurochman, I., Jatnika, J., Sembiring, A., 2020, Analysis of the Mw 6.5 December 15, 2017 and the Mw 5.9 January 23, 2018 Java Earthquakes, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0120200046.
Soto‐Cordero, L., Meltzer, A., Bergman, E., Hoskins, M., Stachnik, J. C., Agurto‐ Detzel, H., Alvarado, A., Beck, S., Charvis, P., Font, Y., Hayes, G., Hernandez, S., Leon-Rios, S., Lynner, C., Nocquet, J.M., Regnier, M., Rietbrock, A., Rolandone, F., Rui, 2020, Structural control on Megathrust Rupture and Slip Behavior: Insights from the 2016 Mw 7.8 Pedernales Ecuador Earthquake, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JB018001.
Koch, C., Lynner, C., Delph, J., Beck, S., Meltzer, A., Soto-Cordero, L., Hoskins, M., Stachnik, J., Ruiz, M., Alvarado, A., Font, Y., Agurto-Detzel, H., Charvis, P., Regnier, M., Rietbrock, A., 2020, Structure of the Ecuadorian Forearc from the Joint Inversion of Receiver Functions and Ambient Noise Surface Waves, Geophysical Journal International, doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggaa237.
Lynner, C., Koch, C., Beck, S., Meltzer, A., Soto-Cordero, L., Hoskins, M., Stachnik, J., Ruiz, M., Alvarado, A., Charvis, P., Font, Y., Regnier, M., Agurto-Detzel, H., Rietbrock, A., Porritt, R., 2020, Upper-plate structure in Ecuador coincident with the subduction of the Carnegie Ridge and the southern extent of large mega-thrust earthquakes, Geophysical Journal International, doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggz558
Meltzer, Anne, Stachnik, Josh, Demberel Sodnomsambuu, Ulziibat Munkhuu, Baasanbat Tsagaan, Mungunsren Dashdondog, and Raymond Russo, The Central Mongolia Seismic Experiment: Multiple Applications of Temporary Broadband Seismic Arrays, Seismological Research Letters, 2019, doi: 10.1785/0220180360.
Meltzer, Anne, Susan Beck, Mario Ruiz, Mariah Hoskins, Lillian Soto-Cordero, Joshua C. Stachnik, Colton Lynner, Rob Porritt, Daniel Portner, Alexandra Alvarado, Stephen Hernandez, Hugo Yepes, Philippe Charvis, Yvonne Font, Marc Regnier, Hans AgurtoDetzel, Andreas Rietbrock, Sergio Leon-Rios, E. Diego Mercerat, 2019, The 2016 Mw 7.8 Pedernales Earthquake, Ecuador: RAPID Response Deployment, Seismological Research Letters, doi: 10.1785/0220180364.
Agurto-Detzel, H., Y. Font, P. Charvis, M. Régnier, A. Rietbrock, D. Ambrois, M. Paulatto, A. Alvarado, S. Beck, M.J. Hernandez, S. Hernandez, M. Hoskins, S. León-Ríos, C. Lynner, A. Meltzer, D. Mercerat, F. Michaud, J.M. Nocquet, F. Rolandone, M. Ruiz, L. Soto-Cordero, Ridge Subduction and Afterslip Control Aftershock Distribution of the 2016 Mw 7.8 Ecuador Earthquake, 2019, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 520 (2019) 63–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.05.029.
Soto-Cordero, L., A. Meltzer, J. C. Stachnik, Crustal Structure, Intraplate Seismicity, and Seismic Hazard in the Mid-Atlantic United States, Seismological Research Letters, Volume 89, Number 1, doi: 10.1785/0220170084 published online December 2017, print 2018.
Zeitler, P.K., Koons, P.O., Hallet, B., and Meltzer, A.S., 2015, Comment on “Tectonic control of Yarlung Tsangpo Gorge revealed by a buried canyon in Southern Tibet.” Science, V 349, no. 6250, p 799, doi:10.1126/science.aaa9380.
Berti, Claudio, Frank Pazzaglia, Anne Meltzer, Richard Harrison, Evidence for persistent cumulative deformation of the Virginia piedmont in the vicinity of the 23 August, 2011 Mineral Earthquake, in GSA Special Paper 509, The 2011 Mineral, Virginia, Earthquake, and Its Significance for Seismic Hazards in Eastern North America (edited by J. Wright Horton Jr., Martin C. Chapman, and Russell A. Green), first published online December 2014, doi: 10.1130/2015.2509(21), print 2015.
Hayes, Gavin, Eric Bergman, Kendra Johnson, Harley Benz, Lucy Brown, Anne Meltzer, Seismotectonic framework of the February 27, 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule, Chile earthquake sequence, Geophys. J. Int., doi: 10.1093/gji/ggt238, 2013.
McNamara, D.E., H. M. Benz, R. B. Herrmann, E.A. Bergman, Paul Earle, A. Meltzer, M. Withers, and M. Chapman, The Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia earthquake of August 2011 and aftershock sequence: Constraints on earthquake source parameters and fault geometry, Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., first published online Dec 2013, doi:10.1785/0120130058, BSSA v104, 40- 54, 2014.
Wolin, Emily, Seth Stein, Frank Pazzaglia, Anne Meltzer, Alan Kafka, 2012, Mineral, Virginia, earthquake illustrates seismicity of a passive-aggressive margin, Geophysical Research Letters, 39, L02305, doi:10.1029/2011GL050310, 2012.
Li, Chang, Robert D. van der Hilst, Anne S. Meltzer, E. Robert Engdahl, 2008, Subduction of the Indian lithosphere beneath the Tibetan Plateau and Burma, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 274, 157-168.
S. Sol, A. Meltzer, R. Bürgmann, R. D. Van der Hilst, R. King, Z. Chen, P. Koons, E. Lev, Y. P. Liu, B., P. K. Zeitler, X. Zhang, J. Zhang, B. Zurek 2007, Geodynamics of the southeastern Tibetan plateau from seismic anisotropy and geodesy, Geology, 35, 563-566.
Meltzer, A.S., Christensen, N.I., Long, C., 2001, Crustal Anisotropy: Implications for crustal velocity structure and shear-wave splitting, , GRL, 28, 2129-2132.
Teaching
Courses:
EES 027 (Natural Hazards)
EES 201 (Seismology: The Earth and Environment)
EES 407 (Seismology)
EES 426 (Tectonic Processes)