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Multiple Announcements for Jobs, Workshops, and More!

Date: 02/25/2018

Dear SCEC Community,

Please see below regarding the following announcements:

1. Joint SSA/ESC Session on Induced Seismicity at the European Seismological Commission Meeting in Malta: September 2 – 7, 2018
2. Workshop: Drilling Investigation of Seismogenic Crust in Oklahoma
3. The Canada Center for Remote Sensing is hiring two Postdoctoral Fellows specializing in Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR)
4. Postdoctoral fellowship at Caltech Related to GeoHazards

Regards,

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1. Joint SSA/ESC Session on Induced Seismicity at the European Seismological Commission Meeting in Malta: September 2 – 7, 2018
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The 36th General Assembly of the European Seismological Commission that will be held in Valletta, Malta on September 2 – 7, 2018 (http://www.escmalta2018.eu/page/home). Abstract submission is now open through March 30. The Assembly is primarily a meeting ground for academics and researchers working in the field of seismology and related applications, including applied and social aspects of seismology, such as earthquake hazard and risk, earthquake engineering, education and awareness, and risk prevention.

Among the 42 special sessions, we would like to draw your attention to the joint SSA/ESC Session:

S32 Induced and triggered seismicity: observations, modeling, monitoring, discrimination and risk management strategies.

It is well known that industrial activities related to development and production of energy have the potential to induce minor seismicity or trigger larger earthquakes. This is a global phenomenon with implications for seismic hazard and risk, and real concern exists about larger earthquakes that might be triggered by industrial activities especially in densely populated areas. In addition to human-induced seismicity, there are also natural induced earthquakes that occur in response to naturally driven stress perturbations such as seismic waves, tidal stressing, and volcanic processes.

Public and regulatory concerns about the potential hazard from induced earthquakes continues to evolve in response to a deepening scientific understanding of the underlying mechanisms and improvements to probabilistic seismic hazard models. There is a growing understanding that taking steps to reduce the hazard can mitigate the risk. Consequently, guidelines for monitoring are being revised and improved.

This session focuses on theoretical, experimental and observational advances in understanding, detecting, discriminating the seismicity induced or triggered by hydrocarbon exploitation, mining, geothermal development and other industrial operations, as well as hazard management strategies for reducing the risk. Topics related to fluid induced and triggered seismicity in other research areas are also of interest.

We welcome contributions on advances in seismic and deformation monitoring; analysis and modelling of induced and triggered seismicity at different spatial and temporal scales; laboratory experiments; discrimination between natural, triggered and induced seismicity; multidisciplinary studies combining different data types and observations; assessment of seismic hazard and mitigation of the seismic risk in areas where such activities are carried out; existing regulations and new policy directions; and public perception and concern.

The session will be organized into two main subtopics: 1) observations, physical mechanisms and modelling; 2) monitoring, discrimination, and risk management strategies. Furthermore, the session will include some selected/invited presentations of 20 minutes net length, one of them assigned to a young researcher. Therefore, we particularly appreciate contributions from early career scientists.

2. Workshop: Drilling Investigation of Seismogenic Crust in Oklahoma
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The drastic, unexpected surge of earthquake activity in the central United States since 2009 has alarmed the public and resulted in raising the earthquake hazard estimate for Oklahoma based on its induced seismicity. Induced earthquakes have also been observed throughout other portions of North America (Colorado, Arkansas, Texas, Ohio, Kansas, Illinois, western Canada), and worldwide (Switzerland, southern Italy, Germany, Netherlands, India, China). Most recent earthquakes occurring in Oklahoma nucleated at depths well within the igneous basement. Although much is known about the shallow sedimentary sequences in Oklahoma, where oil and gas are produced, little is known about the structure and in-situ properties of the underlying igneous basement, where the largest and most damaging earthquakes originate. Consequently, we propose a drilling project into the seismogenic, igneous basement of Oklahoma near and across a causative fault of a recent M5+ earthquake. Such a project will provide a better understanding the processes and conditions leading to the observed fluid-induced seismicity.

Members of the international scientific community are invited to attend a preparation workshop,funded jointly by International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP), industry partners and the School of Geology and Geophysics. The aim of the workshop is to discuss the proposed drilling project and to clarify the many outstanding questions concerning induced seismicity that are not limited to Oklahoma including: What are the conditions of stress and pore pressure within basement? What are the fluid pathways that allow injected wastewater to flow from the sedimentary layers and penetrate the basement below? What are the effects of basement alteration and chemistry of injected water on earthquake occurrence? What is the in-situ velocity and permeability structure of the basement? What are the strength and seismic stability of the basement rocks and how are these influenced by alteration? What are the structure and composition of a recently active fault-zone?

The workshop will be held in Norman, Oklahoma, May 3-5 and will be convened by Brett Carpenter, Ze’ev Reches, Cristiano Collettini, Francois Cornet, Heather DeShon, Stephen Hickman, Kuo-Fong Ma, Xiaowei Chen, Ahmad Ghassemi, Nori Nakata and Jake Walter.

Limited partial and full travel funding is available thanks to the support of ICDP and industry partners.To apply, send a 1-page CV and a statement of your interest in the workshop topic to disco@ou.edu.The deadline for travel support is February 16, 2018. We also ask those planning to attend the workshop, but not requesting travel assistance, to submit their intent via a statement of interest todisco@ou.edu by February 16, 2018. Early career and international scientists are stronglyencouraged to apply to help shape what will be a long-term project.

3. The Canada Center for Remote Sensing is hiring two Postdoctoral Fellows specializing in Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR)
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The Canada Center for Remote Sensing has an immediate opening for two Postdoctoral Fellows specializing in Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR). The successful candidates will participate in a Canadian Space Agency funded project to develop an automated InSAR processing system for the upcoming RADARSAT Constellation Mission scheduled to be launched in 2018. There will be opportunities to participate in other research projects studying natural and anthropogenic ground deformation.

The Canada Center for Remote Sensing, Natural Resources Canada is a government laboratory located in Ottawa, Canada.

Knowledge and Skills

PhD in geophysics or a related area
Excellent programming skills in several languages (C++ , R, bash, GMT)
Experience working in an interdisciplinary project team
A high level of productivity for peer-reviewed publications is expected
Employment period
2-year term commitment

Weekly working hours: Full time (37.5 hours per week)
Salary: starting $55870, 4 weeks vacation, health and insurance benefits.

How to apply

Complete an online form https://tinyurl.com/ccrsinsar and submit CV and three references tonrcan.eodms_insar-sgdot_insar.rncan@canada.ca .

4. Postdoctoral fellowship at Caltech Related to GeoHazards
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The Mechanical and Civil Engineering (MCE) Department at the California Institute of Technology invites applications for a Cecil & Sally Drinkward postdoctoral research scholar position in civil engineering. The intent of the program is to support innovative early career scientists in making a significant, original research contribution. The potential research areas include (but are not limited to) mechanics of solids and fluids, granular matter, geohazards such as earthquakes, materials science and engineering, energy, structural sensing systems, infrastructure systems, and their control, resilience, and sustainability.

For more details and to apply, please go to: https://applications.caltech.edu/job/drinkward
The application review will begin on March 12, 2018 and continue until the position is filled.