Kevin Seats
Seismologist - PhD Candidate, Stanford
Research
​My primary research has been on the ambient noise tomographic imaging of the Yellowstone region (right). By cross-correlating the ambient noise recorded at two stations (the squiggles NOT associated with a large event) over a long time, a signal emerges, representing all of the coherent information that traveled between the stations. Using this signal, and all possible station pairs, we can create a three dimensional image of the structure below!
Ambient Noise Tomography
Time-Lapsed Imaging
Another facet of my thesis project is the analysis of time-varying properties in active (volcanic) regions using ambient seismic noise. By studying the coherent information that travels between two stations, and correcting for any seasonal variations in the ambient seismic field, we can extract the changing seismic properties associated with the active subsurface below!
The High Frequency Nature of Earthquakes
My secondary project involves the investigation of the observed high frequency content from earthquakes. At low frequencies, earthquakes behave very much like the double-couple (beachball) sources they are modeled to be, which can be directly observed using seismic data. At higher frequencies, however, these beachballs, or 'focal mechaisms' tend to be entirely isotropic, or equal everywhere, with this generally being believed to be caused by scattering in the upper crust.