Active tectonics and crustal rheology. Using the Global Positioning System and Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry to measure crustal deformation near active faults, volcanoes and landslides. Models of crustal deformation through the earthquake cycle along major fault zones. Utilizing such measurements and models to better understand the rheology and deformation mechanisms in the Earth's lithosphere. 
Recent research projects focus on the active earthquake cycle and post-earthquake deformation in California and along the Denali fault, Alaska; studies of deformation associated with the subduction zone earthquakes and the distribution of asperities along subduction zones in Japan, Chile and Sumatra; and integration of GPS, InSAR and identically repeating micro-earthquake data towards an improved understanding of interseismic deformation and active faults in the San Francisco Bay area that slip both in seismic events and by aseismic creep.

Link to the Active Tectonics research group page at http://www.seismo.berkeley.edu/~burgmann for more information on research projects, publications and courses taught.

Follow this link to a complete list of publications

 2020 - 2022 Publications:

2020:

Li, Y., R. Bürgmann, and B. Zhao (2020), Evidence of Fault Immaturity from Shallow Slip Deficit and Lack of Postseismic Deformation of the 2017 Mw 6.5 Jiuzhaigou Earthquake, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 110, 154–165, doi:10.1785/ 0120190162.

Dai, K., et al. (2020), Entering the Era of Earth Observation-Based Landslide Warning Systems: A novel and exciting framework, IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine, doi:10.1109/MGRS.2019.2954395.

Johnson, C. W., Y. Fu, and R. Bürgmann (2020), Hydrospheric modulation of stress and seismicity on shallow faults in southern Alaska, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 530, 115904, doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115904.

Wang, K., and R. Bürgmann (2020), Co‐ and Early Postseismic Deformation Due to the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence Constrained by Sentinel‐1 and COSMO‐SkyMed SAR Data, Seismological Research Letters, 91(4), 1998–2009, doi:10.1785/0220190299.

Panda, D., B. Kundu, V. K. Gahalaut, R. Bürgmann, B. Jha, R. Asaithambi, R. K. Yadav, N. K. Vissa, and A. K. Bansal (2020), Reply to “A warning against over-interpretation of seasonal signals measured by the Global Navigation Satellite System”, Nature Communications, 11(1), 1376, doi:10.1038/s41467-020-15103-4. 

Xue, L., C. W. Johnson, Y. Fu, and R. Bürgmann (2020), Seasonal seismicity in the Western Branch of the East African Rift System, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, doi:10.1029/2019GL085882.

Delbridge, B. G., J. D. Carmichael, R. M. Nadeau, D. R. Shelly, and R. Bürgmann (2020), Geodetic Measurements of Slow Slip Events Southeast of Parkfield, CA, J. Geophys. Res., 125, doi:10.1029/2019JB019059. 

Hu, X., and R. Bürgmann (2020), Rheology of a Debris Slide From the Joint Analysis of UAVSAR and LiDAR Data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47(8), e2020GL087452, doi:10.1029/2020GL087452.

Kundu, B., R. K. Yadav, R. Bürgmann, K. Wang, D. Panda, and V. K. Gahalaut (2020), Triggering relationships between magmatic and faulting processes in the May 2018 eruptive sequence at Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii, Geophys. J. Int., 222(1), 461-473, doi:10.1093/gji/ggaa178.

Brooks, B. A., Murray, J., Svarc, J., Phillips, E., Turner, R., Murray, M., Ericksen, T., Wang, K., Minson, S., Burgmann, R., Pollitz, F., Hudnut, K., Nevitt, J., Roeloffs, E., Hernandez, J., Olson, B. (2020), Rapid Geodetic Observations of Spatiotemporally Varying Postseismic Deformation Following the Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence: The U.S. Geological Survey Response, Seismological Research Letters, 91, 2108–2123, doi:10.1785/0220200007.

Hu, X., R. Bürgmann, W. H. Schulz, and E. J. Fielding (2020), Four-dimensional surface motions of the Slumgullion landslide and quantification of hydrometeorological forcing, Nature Communications, 11(1), 2792, doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16617-7.

Wang, K., D. Dreger, E. Tinti, R. Bürgmann, and T. Taira (2020), Rupture process of the 2019 Ridgecrest, California M6.4 Foreshock and M7.1 Earthquake Constrained by Seismic and Geodetic Data, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 1-24, doi:10.1785/0120200108.

Pritchard, M. E., et al. (2020), New Opportunities to Study Earthquake Precursors, Seismological Research Letters, doi:10.1785/0220200089. 

Hu, X., and R. Bürgmann (2020), Aquifer deformation and active faulting in Salt Lake Valley, Utah, USA, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 547, doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116471.

Hu, X., R. Bürgmann, E. J. Fielding, and H. Lee (2020), Internal kinematics of the Slumgullion landslide (USA) from high-resolution UAVSAR InSAR data, Remote Sensing of Environment, 251, 112057, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2020.112057.

Milliner, C., R. Bürgmann, A. Inbal, T. Wang, and C. Liang (2020), Resolving the Kinematics and Moment Release of Early Afterslip within the First Hours following the 2016 Mw 7.1 Kumamoto Earthquake: Implications for the Shallow Slip Deficit and Frictional Behavior of Aseismic Creep, J. Geophys. Res., 125, e2019JB018928, doi:10.1029/2019JB018928.

Hsu, Y.-J., Y. Fu, R. Bürgmann, S.-Y. Hsu, C.-C. Lin, C.-H. Tang, and Y.-M. Wu (2020), Assessing seasonal and interannual water storage variations in Taiwan using geodetic and hydrological data, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 550, 116532, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116532.

Huang, H., L. Meng, R. Bürgmann, W. Wang, and K. Wang (2020), Spatio-temporal foreshock evolution of the 2019 M 6.4 and M 7.1 Ridgecrest, California earthquakes, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 551, 116582, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116582.

Liu, S., Z.-K. Shen, R. Bürgmann, and S. Jónsson (2020), Thin crème brûlée rheological structure for the Eastern California Shear Zone, Geology, doi:10.1130/G47729.1.

Wang, K., and R. Bürgmann (2020), Probing fault frictional properties during afterslip up- and downdip of the 2017 Mw 7.3 Sarpol-e Zahab earthquake with space geodesy, J. Geophys. Res., 125, e2020JB020319, doi:10.1029/2020JB020319.

Dutilleul, P., C. W. Johnson, and R. Bürgmann (2020), Marked spatio-temporal point patterns, periodicity analysis and earthquakes: an analytical extension including hypocenter depth, Environmental and Ecological Statistics, doi:10.1007/s10651-020-00470-4.

Zhao, D., C. Qu, X. Shan, R. Bürgmann, W. Gong, H. Tung, G. Zhang, X. Song, and X. Qiao (2020), Multifault complex rupture and afterslip associated with the 2018 Mw 6.4 Hualien earthquake in northeastern Taiwan, Geophys. J. Int., 224(1), 416-434, doi:10.1093/gji/ggaa474.

2021:

Materna, K., Feng, L., Lindsey, E.O., Hill, E.M., Ahsan, A., Alam, A.K.M.K., Oo, K.M., Than, O., Aung, T., Khaing, S.N., Bürgmann, R., (2021), GNSS characterization of hydrological loading in South and Southeast Asia, Geophys. J. Int., 224(3), 1742-1752, doi:10.1093/gji/ggaa500. 

Dutilleul, P., C. W. Johnson, and R. Bürgmann (2021), Periodicity Analysis of Earthquake Occurrence and Hypocenter Depth near Parkfield, California, 1994-2002 versus 2006-2014, Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, e2020GL089673, doi:10.1029/2020GL089673.

Behr, W. M., and R. Bürgmann (2021), What’s down there? The structures, materials and environment of deep-seated slow slip and tremor, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. , A 379(20200218), doi:https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2020.0218.

Milliner, C., A. Donnellan, S. Aati, J.-P. Avouac, R. Zinke, J. F. Dolan, K. Wang, and R. Bürgmann (2021), Bookshelf Kinematics and the Effect of Dilatation on Fault Zone Inelastic Deformation: Examples from Optical Image Correlation Measurements of the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence, J. Geophys. Res., 126, e2020JB020551, doi:10.1029/2020JB020551.

Zhao, D., C. Qu, R. Bürgmann, W. Gong, and X. Shan (2021), Relaxation of Tibetan Lower Crust and Afterslip Driven by the 2001 Mw7.8 Kokoxili, China, Earthquake Constrained by a Decade of Geodetic Measurements, J. Geophys. Res., 126, e2020JB021314, doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB021314.

Blisniuk, K., K. Scharer, W. D. Sharp, R. Burgmann, C. Amos, and M. Rymer (2021), A revised position for the primary strand of the Pleistocene-Holocene San Andreas fault in southern California, Science Advances, 7(13), eaaz5691, doi:10.1126/sciadv.aaz5691.

Hsu, Y.-J., H. Kao, R. Bürgmann, Y.-T. Lee, H.-H. Huang, Y.-F. Hsu, Y.-M. Wu, and J. Zhuang (2021), Synchronized and asynchronous modulation of seismicity by hydrological loading: A case study in Taiwan, Science Advances, 7(16), eabf7282, doi:10.1126/sciadv.abf7282.

Lindsey, E. O., R. Mallick, J. A. Hubbard, K. E. Bradley, R. V. Almeida, J. D. P. Moore, R. Bürgmann, and E. M. Hill (2021), Slip rate deficit and earthquake potential on shallow megathrusts, Nature Geoscience, doi:10.1038/s41561-021-00736-x.

Uchida, N., and R. Bürgmann (2021), A Decade of Lessons Learned from the 2011 Tohoku-oki Earthquake, Reviews of Geophysics, 59, e2020RG000713, doi:10.1029/2020RG000713.

*Uchida, N., and R. Bürgmann (2021), Learning from a disastrous megathrust earthquake, Eos, 102, doi:10.1029/2021EO159741. 

Li, Y., and R. Bürgmann (2021), Partial coupling and earthquake potential along the Xianshuihe Fault, China, J. Geophys. Res., 126, e2020JB021406, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB021406. 

Thomas, A. M., A. Inbal, J. Searcy, D. R. Shelly, and R. Bürgmann (2021), Identification of low-frequency earthquakes on the San Andreas fault with deep learning, Geophys. Res. Lett., e2021GL093157, doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL093157.

Liu, J., J. Hu, R. Bürgmann, Z. Li, Q. Sun, and Z. Ma (2021), A Strain-Model Based InSAR Time Series Method and its Application to The Geysers Geothermal Field, California, J. Geophys. Res., 126, e2021JB021939, doi:10.1029/2021JB021939. 

Xie, L., W. Xu, R. Bürgmann, X. Ding, V. K. Gahalaut, and S. Mondal (2021), Tehri Reservoir Operation Modulates Seasonal Elastic Crustal Deformation in the Himalaya, J. Geophys. Res., 126(8), e2020JB021122, doi:10.1029/2020JB021122. 

Wang, M., Shen, Z.-K., Wang, Y., Bürgmann, R., Wang, F., Zhang, P.-Z., Liao, H., Zhang, R., Wang, Q., Jiang, Z.-S., Chen, W.-T., Hao, M., Li, Y., Gu, T., Tao, W., Wang, K., Xue, L., (2021), Postseismic deformation of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake illuminates lithospheric rheological structure and dynamics of eastern Tibet, J. Geophys. Res., 126, e2021JB022399, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB022399.

Antoine, S. L., Y. Klinger, A. Delorme, K. Wang, R. Bürgmann, and R. D. Gold (2021), Diffuse Deformation and Surface Faulting Distribution from Submetric Image Correlation along the 2019 Ridgecrest, California, Ruptures, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 111, 2275–2302, doi:10.1785/0120210036. 

Inbal, A., A. M. Thomas, T. Newton, and R. Bürgmann (2021), Complex Migration of Tremor near Cholame, CA, Resolved by Seismic Array Analysis, J. Geophys. Res., 126, e2021JB022174, doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB022174.

Mallick, R., R. Bürgmann, K. Johnson, and J. Hubbard (2021), A Unified Framework for Earthquake Sequences and the Growth of Geological Structure in Fold-Thrust Belts, J. Geophys. Res., 126(9), e2021JB022045, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB022045.

Vasco, D. W., S. V. Samsonov, K. Wang, R. Burgmann, P. Jeanne, W. Foxall, and Y. Zhang (2021), Monitoring natural gas storage using Synthetic Aperture Radar: are the residuals informative?, Geophys. J. Int., 228(2), 1438-1456, doi:10.1093/gji/ggab409.

Mirzadeh, S. M. J., S. Jin, E. Parizi, E. Chaussard, R. Bürgmann, J. M. Delgado Blasco, M. Amani, H. Bao, and S. H. Mirzadeh (2021), Characterization of Irreversible Land Subsidence in the Yazd-Ardakan Plain, Iran From 2003 to 2020 InSAR Time Series, J. Geophys. Res., 126(11), e2021JB022258, doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB022258.

Maneerat, P., and R. Bürgmann (2022), Geomorphic expressions of active tectonics across the Indo-Burma Range, Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 223, 105008, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2021.105008.

Hu, X., R. Bürgmann, X. Xu, E. Fielding, and Z. Liu (2021), Machine-Learning Characterization of Tectonic, Hydrological and Anthropogenic Sources of Active Ground Deformation in California, J. Geophys. Res., 126(11), e2021JB022373, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB022373.

Hu, X., L. Xue, R. Bürgmann, and Y. Fu (2021), Stress perturbations from hydrological and industrial loads and seismicity in the Salt Lake City region, J. Geophys. Res., 126, e2021JB022362, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB022362.

Xue, L., Y. Fu, C. W. Johnson, J. J. Otero Torres, C. K. Shum, and R. Bürgmann (2021), Seasonal Seismicity in the Lake Biwa Region of Central Japan Moderately Modulated by Lake Water Storage Changes, J. Geophys. Res., 126(12), e2021JB023301, doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB023301.

2022:

Tsuchiyama, A., T. a. Taira, J. Nakajima, and R. Bürgmann (2022), Emergence of Low‐Frequency Aftershocks of the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, doi:10.1785/0120210206.

Zhao, D., C. Qu, R. Bürgmann, W. Gong, X. Shan, X. Qiao, L. Zhao, H. Chen, and L. Liu (2022), Large-Scale Crustal Deformation, Slip-Rate Variation, and Strain Distribution Along the Kunlun Fault (Tibet) From Sentinel-1 InSAR Observations (2015–2020), J. Geophys. Res., 127(1), e2021JB022892, doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB022892.

Xu, W., H. Gao, R. Bürgmann, G. Feng, Z. Li, and G. Jiang (2022), Anthropogenic activity at the Leyte geothermal field promoted the 2017 Mw 6.5 earthquake, Tectonophysics, 824, 229227, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2022.229227.

Maneerat, P., D. S. Dreger, and R. Bürgmann (2022), Stress Orientations and Driving Forces in the Indo‐Burma Plate Boundary Zone, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, doi:10.1785/0120210303.

Baden Curtis, W., L. Shuster David, F. Aron, C. Fosdick Julie, R. Bürgmann, and E. Hilley George Bridging earthquakes and mountain building in the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA, Science Advances, 8(8), eabi6031, doi:10.1126/sciadv.abi6031.

Jiang, Y., P. J. González, and R. Bürgmann (2022), Subduction earthquakes controlled by incoming plate geometry: The 2020 M > 7.5 Shumagin, Alaska, earthquake doublet, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 584, 117447, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117447.

Zhao, B., R. Bürgmann, D. Wang, J. Zhang, J. Yu, and Q. Li (2022), Aseismic slip and recent ruptures of persistent asperities along the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone, Nature Communications, 13(1), 3098, doi:10.1038/s41467-022-30883-7.

Xie, L., W. Xu, X. Ding, R. Bürgmann, S. Giri, and X. Liu (2022), A multi-platform, open-source, and quantitative remote sensing framework for dam-related hazard investigation: Insights into the 2020 Sardoba dam collapse, International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 111, 102849, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2022.102849.

Zhou, C., H. Lan, R. Bürgmann, T. A. Warner, J. J. Clague, L. Li, Y. Wu, X. Zhao, Y. Zhang, and J. Yao (2022), Application of an improved multi-temporal InSAR method and forward geophysical model to document subsidence and rebound of the Chinese Loess Plateau following land reclamation in the Yan'an New District, Remote Sensing of Environment, 279, 113102, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.113102. 

In press:

Xu, W., X. Liu, R. Bürgmann, L. Xie, G. Feng, Z. Li, and L. Wu (2022), Space geodetic evidence of basement-involved thick-skinned orogeny and fault frictional heterogeneity of the Papuan Fold Belt, Papua New Guinea, J. Geophys. Res., n/a(n/a), e2022JB024227, doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JB024227.

Zhao, D., et al., 2022, Transient fault creep on the Xidatan (Tibet) fault driven by viscoelastic relaxation following the 2001 Kokoxili earthquake: Geology, v. 50, https://doi.org/10.1130/G50380.1

In Fall 2022, I will be teaching EPS116 - Structural Geology and Tectonics and will organize EPS254 - BSL Seminar. 

• EPS020 - Earthquakes in Your Backyard
• EPS 116 - Structural Geology and Tectonics
• EPS 216 - Active Tectonics
• EPS290 - Active Tectonics Journal Club and Research Updates