The Active Tectonics program focuses on the manner in which plate boundary strain in the upper crust is accommodated in time and space.  Its approach uses a variety of geological and geophysical techniques to investigate problems at the disciplinary interface between tectonics, earthquake physics, geomorphology, structural geology, and seismic hazard assessment.

Much of the group's recent research has concentrated on acquiring paleoseismologic data on the locations, ages, and magnitudes of prehistoric earthquakes, as well as fault geometries, kinematics, and slip rates.  Within the upper crust of continental regions, almost all plate-boundary strain is accommodated by slip on major faults.  Moreover, slip on those faults occurs almost exclusively during major earthquakes.  Thus, by documenting the past occurrence of earthquakes, we can begin to discern patterns of strain accommodation across plate boundaries.

The Active Tectonics program is strongly integrated with complementary research efforts
(e. g., earthquake physics, geodesy, structural geology), within both USC Earth Sciences and the Southern California Earthquake Center, which is headquartered at USC.

Examples of ongoing research projects: 

(1) Paleoseismologic research in southern California and Turkey;
(2) Development of methodologies for acquiring paleoseismologic information from blind thrusts and offshore faults;
(3) Investigation of the constancy of tectonic loading rates in time and space;
(4) Examination of spatial-temporal clustering of earthquakes and fault interactions through the use of numerical modeling of real paleoseismologic and tectonic data;
(5) InSAR examination of potential fault creep along the North Anatolian fault;
(6) Integration of all of these data into the next generation of seismic hazard models.