Exciting news! We're transitioning to the Statewide California Earthquake Center. Our new website is under construction, but we'll continue using this website for SCEC business in the meantime. We're also archiving the Southern Center site to preserve its rich history. A new and improved platform is coming soon!
Ramon Arrowsmith
School of Earth and Space Exploration
Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Professor
Expertise: Earthquake geology, Active tectonics in Central Asia & California, Quaternary geology, geomorphology, San Andreas Fault, Structural Geology
About Me
Publications
My students, colleagues, and I study the earthquake geology, paleoseismology, and geomorphology of fault zones and publish about their history of activity and hazards. I am currently co leader of the SAFS element of SCEC on the Planning Committee. I am cofounder and co-PI of the OpenTopography effort—a portal to the largest collection of freely available high resolution topography data (http://www.opentopography.org/). I have have lead many short courses, workshops, and visioning activities emphasizing high resolution topographic data and tectonic geomorphology. I was the Director of the EarthScope National Office and the Chair of the EarthScope Steering Committee (2014-2015) during which I provided high level coordination between the science community, infrastructure facility groups, the National Science Foundation, and various education and public outreach efforts. I have contributed to scientific community planning and review efforts associated with earthquake hazards for the USGS National Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council (appointed by USGS Director), the Scientific Review Panel for the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast 3, and active tectonics expert for nuclear power plant and waste disposal safety. Along with research and service to the profession, I teach courses in Geologic Disasters, Structural Geology, Geomorphology, and Field Geology.
SCEC Science Planning Committee, Group Co-Leader (2012 - 2016, 2018 - Present)
SCEC Participation
Current Roles
SCEC Committee on Professional Conduct, Member (2020 - Present)SCEC Science Planning Committee, Group Co-Leader (2012 - 2016, 2018 - Present)
Past Roles
SCEC Mentor (2006)Schwarz, M. F., Applegate, R., Zinke, R., Arrowsmith, R., Donnellan, A., Padgett, C., DeLong, S., & Hammer, M. (2023, 09). Data processing and quality for applications to active faulting in California with QUAKES-I Stereo-imagery . Poster Presentation at 2023 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 13272
Scott, C. P., Adam, R. N., Arrowsmith, R., Madugo, C. M., Gray, B., Koehler, R. D., Thompson, S., Sarmiento, A., Dawson, T., Kottke, A. R., Young, E. K., Kozaci, O., Oskin, M. E., Burgette, R. J., Streig, A. R., Seitz, G. G., Baden, C. W., & Zuckerman, M. G. (2023, 09). Evaluating How Well Active Fault Mapping Predicts Earthquake Surface Rupture Locations. Poster Presentation at 2023 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 13248
Adam, R. N., Scott, C. P., Arrowsmith, R., Reano, D., Madugo, C. M., Koehler, R. D., Zuckerman, M. G., Gray, B., Kozaci, O., Gonzalez, T., AbramsonWard, H., Rockwell, T. K., Gath, E. M., Kottke, A. R., & Luechter, E. (2023, 09). Assessing a systematic geomorphic mapping approach to improve confidence in fault mapping and rupture prediction. Poster Presentation at 2023 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 13222
Zuckerman, M. G., Scott, C. P., Arrowsmith, R., Adam, R. N., Madugo, C. M., Koehler, R. D., & Kottke, A. R. (2023, 09). Comparison of mapped fault locations based on geomorphic mapping from remote-sensing datasets. Poster Presentation at 2023 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 13215
Powell, J. H., Scott, C. P., Arrowsmith, R., & DeLong, S. (2023, 09). Fault Trace Mapping of the Central San Andreas Fault from Lidar-derived Topography. Poster Presentation at 2023 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 13198
Williams, A. M., Arrowsmith, R., Arora, S., Cochran, D., Jansen, E., Pontin, G., & Friedman, C. (2023, 09). Exploring the transition between the Parkfield and Cholame sections of the San Andreas Fault . Poster Presentation at 2023 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 13175
Chen, Z., Arrowsmith, R., Das, J., Wittich, C., Madugo, C. M., & Kottke, A. R. (2023, 09). Studying overturning and large displacement processes of precariously balanced rocks for ground motion estimation. Poster Presentation at 2023 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 12952
Chen, Z., Arrowsmith, R., Das, J., Wittich, C., Madugo, C., & Kottke, A. (2023). Virtual Shake Robot: Simulating Dynamics of Precariously Balanced Rocks for Overturning and Large-displacement Processes. Seismica, (in preparation). SCEC Contribution 12703
Adam, R. N., Scott, C. P., Arrowsmith, R., Zuckerman, M. G., Madugo, C. M., Koehler, R. D., Reano, D., & Kozaci, O. (2022, 09). Development of the Geomorphic Indicator Ranking System for pre-rupture fault mapping. Poster Presentation at 2022 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 12521
Powell, J., Scott, C., & Arrowsmith, R. (2022, 09). Fault Trace Mapping of the Central SAF from Lidar Topography. Poster Presentation at 2022 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 12518
Chen, Z., Keating, D., Shethwala, Y., Pandian Saravanakumaran, A., Das, J., Arrowsmith, R., Madugo, C., & Kottke, A. (2022, 09). Shakebot: a low-cost, open-source shake table for structural seismology research. Poster Presentation at 2022 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 12310
Zuckerman, M. G., Scott, C. P., Arrowsmith, R., Adam, R. N., Koehler, R. D., Madugo, C. M., & Kottke, A. R. (2022, 09). Pre-rupture fault mapping from geomorphic features to quantify fault location uncertainty for fault displacement hazard studies. Poster Presentation at 2022 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 12270
Akciz, S. O., Grant Ludwig, L., Arrowsmith, R., & Rhodes, E. J. (2022, 09). Channel incision ages to the rescue: An improved age for the penultimate earthquake that ruptured the Carrizo Plain section of the southern San Andreas Fault. Poster Presentation at 2022 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 12089
Chen, Z., Scott, C. P., Keating, D., Clarke, A., Das, J., & Arrowsmith, R. (2022). A deep-learning approach to quantify and analyze rock trait distributions for the geomorphic study of rocky fault scarps. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, (submitted). SCEC Contribution 11844
Williams, A. M., seitz, g. G., Rockwell, T. K., Cook, D. K., & Arrowsmith, R. (2021, 08). Earthquake Chronology of the Parkfield-Cholame Transition Zone: San Andreas Fault. Poster Presentation at 2021 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 11666
Adam, R. N., Powell, J., Ford, J., Scott, C. P., & Arrowsmith, R. (2021, 08). Pre and post rupture Fault Mapping Comparisons applications to Probabilistic Fault Displacement Hazard. Poster Presentation at 2021 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 11355
Chen, Z., Keating, D., Das, J., Wittich, C., & Arrowsmith, R. (2021, 08). Virtual Shake Robot: Dynamics Simulation of Precariously Balanced Rocks for Hazard Analysis . Poster Presentation at 2021 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 11255
Pierce, I., Williams, A. M., Koehler, R. D., & Arrowsmith, R. (2021, 08). Trenching the causative faults of the 2019 Ridgecrest sequence. Poster Presentation at 2021 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 11246
Scott, C. P., Arrowsmith, R., DeLong, S., Bunds, M. P., Toke, N. A., & Shirzaei, M. (2021, 08). Shallow Creep Along the Central San Andreas Fault from Differential Lidar Topography . Oral Presentation at 2021 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 11144
Chen, Z., Scott, T. R., Bearman, S., Anand, H., Keating, D., Scott, C. P., Arrowsmith, R., & Das, J. (2020, 08). Geomorphological Analysis Using Unpiloted Aircraft Systems, Structure from Motion, and Deep Learning. Poster Presentation at IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. SCEC Contribution 10775
Seitz, G. G., Williams, A. M., Cook, D. K., Rockwell, T. K., & Arrowsmith, R. (2020, 08). San Andreas Fault Transition Zone: Where Large, Small, Coseismic, and Aeismic Slip Occurs: Parkfield-Cholame. Poster Presentation at 2020 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 10766
Williams, A. M., Arrowsmith, R., & Rockwell, T. K. (2020, 08). Investigating the Earthquake Chronology of the Last Millennium along the Cholame Section of the San Andreas Fault . Poster Presentation at 2020 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 10750
Das, J., Arrowsmith, R., Chen, Z., Scott, T. R., Scott, C. P., & Keating, D. (2020, 08). Advancing earthquake science with robotics and AI. Oral Presentation at 2020 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 10253
Ferrarini, F., Arrowsmith, R., Brozzetti, F., de Nardis, R., Cirillo, D., & Lavecchia, G. (2019, 08). Seismogenic compression in southern Italy? Morphotectonic analysis to detect possible evidence of Late Quaternary tectonics along the Southern Apennine Outer Front. Poster Presentation at 2019 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 9738
Scott, T. R., Chen, Z., Scott, C. P., Das, J., & Arrowsmith, R. (2019, 08). Rock Traits from Machine Learning: applications to precariously balanced rocks and fault scarps in Southern California. Poster Presentation at 2019 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 9712
Bello, S., Arrowsmith, R., Scott, C., Lavecchia, G., Scott, T., De Nardis, R., & Ferrarini, F. (2019, 08). The 1983 Borah Peak earthquake (M7.3) (Idaho - USA) - 3D architecture and seismotectonics along the Lost River fault from field observations and high-resolution topography integrated with seismological data . Poster Presentation at 2019 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 9418
Hudnut, K. W., Brooks, B. A., Scharer, K. M., Hernandez, J. L., Dawson, T., Oskin, M. E., Arrowsmith, R., Blake, K., Bork, S., Boggs, M., Glennie, C. L., Fernandez-Diaz, J., Singhania, A., & Hauser, D. L. (2019, 07). Airborne lidar and electro-optical imagery along surface ruptures of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence, southern California. Poster Presentation at 2019 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 9280
Scott, T. R., Arrowsmith, R., Scott, C. P., & Lao Davila, D. (2018, 08). Detailed mapping of normal fault array geometry using dm-scale high resolution topographic imagery from the Volcanic Tablelands, Bishop, California. Poster Presentation at 2018 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 8830
Patyniak, M., Landgraf, A., Arrowsmith, R., Dzhumabaeva , A., Williams, A. M., Abdrakhmatov , K., & Strecker, M. (2018, 08). The Hidden Past of the Alai Valley: Understanding the Seismic History and Behavior of the Central Pamir Frontal Thrust System through Paleoseismology.. Poster Presentation at 2018 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 8640
Williams, A. M., Arrowsmith, R., Rockwell, T. K., Akciz, S. O., & Grant Ludwig, L. (2018, 08). Refining the earthquake chronology of the last millennium along the Cholame segment of the San Andreas fault. Poster Presentation at 2018 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 8609
Williams, A. M., Arrowsmith, R., Rockwell, T. K., Grant Ludwig, L., Akciz, S. O., & Gontz, A. M. (2017, 08). Testing the shorter and variable recurrence interval hypothesis along the Cholame segment of the San Andreas Fault. Poster Presentation at 2017 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 7860
Scott, C. P., Arrowsmith, R., Lajoie, L. J., Nissen, E., Maruyama, T., & Tatsuro, C. (2017, 08). The M7 2016 Kumamoto, Japan, Earthquake: 3D coseismic deformation from differential topography. Poster Presentation at 2017 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 7781
Wade, A., Arrowsmith, R., Donnellan, A., Vernon, F. L., & Ben-Zion, Y. (2017, 08). Dekameter-scale geologic structure validation of shallow seismic properties along the San Jacinto fault at Sage Brush Flat, Anza, California. Poster Presentation at 2017 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 7738
Ferrarini, F., Lavecchia, G., de Nardis, R., Arrowsmith, R., Brozzetti, F., & Cirillo, D. (2017, 08). Exploring new seismic hazard scenarios in central Italy: hints about a previously unknown active normal fault highlighted by the Norcia 2016 (Mw 6.5) seismic sequence. Poster Presentation at 2017 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 7698
Patyniak, M., Landgraf, A., Dzhumabaeva, A., Abdrakhmatov, K., Rosenwinkel, S., Korup, O., Preusser, F., Fohlmeister, J., Arrowsmith, R., & Strecker, M. (2017, 08). Paleoseismic Record of Three Holocene Earthquakes Rupturing the Issyk-Ata Fault near Bishkek, North Kyrgyzstan. Poster Presentation at 2017 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 7501
Salisbury, J. B., Arrowsmith, R., Sims, J., Grant Ludwig, L., & Akciz, S. O. (2016). Refining the south-central San Andreas fault slip rate at the millennial timescale using reconstructed offset paleo-channels in the Carrizo Plain, California. Journal of Geophysical Research, (in preparation). SCEC Contribution 7154
Salisbury, J. B., Arrowsmith, R., Rockwell, T. K., Akciz, S. O., Brown, N. D., & Grant Ludwig, L. (2016, 08). Investigating the age and origin of small offsets at Van Matre Ranch along the San Andreas Fault in the Carrizo Plain, California. Poster Presentation at 2016 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 6931
Williams, A. M., Arrowsmith, R., Akciz, S. O., Rockwell, T. K., Grant Ludwig, L., & Branscomb, S. (2016, 08). Testing the shorter and variable recurrence interval hypothesis along the Cholame segment of the San Andreas Fault. Poster Presentation at 2016 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 6827
Toke, N. A., Salisbury, J. B., Bunds, M., Arrowsmith, R. R., Matheson, E. C., Kellum, L. T., Abueg, N. M., Sato, T., Horns, D., Anderson, J., Carlson, J. K., & Selck, J. (2015). The Formation, Preservation, and Documentation of Holocene Deformation from Aseismic Surface Creep using Paleoseismology and Structure from Motion at the Dry Lake Valley Site on the Central San Andreas Fault. Geosphere, (in preparation). SCEC Contribution 2101
Akciz, S. O., Grant Ludwig, L., Arrowsmith, R. J., Capaldi, T. N., & Rhodes, E. J. (2023). Channel Incision Ages to the Rescue: An Improved Age for the Penultimate Earthquake That Ruptured the Carrizo Section of the South-Central San Andreas Fault. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 113(2), 877-887. doi: 10.1785/0120220189. SCEC Contribution 12645
Kleber, E. J., DeVecchio, D. E., Arrowsmith, R., & Rittenour, T. M. (2021). Spatiotemporal Rates of Tectonic Deformation and Landscape Evolution above a Laterally Propagating Thrust Fault: Wheeler Ridge Anticline, California, USA. Lithosphere, 2021(Special 2). doi: 10.2113/2021/3395719. SCEC Contribution 11778
Share, P., Tábořík, P., Stepancikova, P., Stemberk, J., Rockwell, T. K., Wade, A., Arrowsmith, R., Donnellan, A., Vernon, F. L., & Ben-Zion, Y. (2020). Characterizing the uppermost 100 m structure of the San Jacinto fault zone southeast of Anza, California, through joint analysis of geological, topographic, seismic and resistivity data. Geophysical Journal International, 222(2), 781-794. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggaa204. SCEC Contribution 10903
Stirling, M., Oskin, M. E., Arrowsmith, R., Rood, A. H., Goulet, C. A., Grant Ludwig, L., King, T., Kottke, A. R., Lozos, J. C., Madugo, C. M., McPhillips, D., Rood, D. H., Sleep, N. H., & Wittich, C. (2020). Evaluation of seismic hazard models with fragile geologic features. Seismological Research Letters, 92(1), 314-324. doi: 10.1785/0220200197. SCEC Contribution 10777
Grant Ludwig, L., Akciz, S. O., Arrowsmith, J., & Salisbury, J. (2019). Reproducibility of San Andreas Fault Slip Rate Measurements at Wallace Creek in the Carrizo Plain, CA. Earth and Space Science, 6(1), 156-165. doi: 10.1029/2017EA000360. SCEC Contribution 8145
Salisbury, J. B., Arrowsmith, R., Brown, N. D., Rockwell, T. K., Grant Ludwig, L., & Akciz, S. O. (2018). The age and origin of small offsets at Van Matre Ranch along the San Andreas Fault in the Carrizo Plain, California. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 108(2), 639–653. SCEC Contribution 7152
Field, E. H., Jordan, T. H., Page, M. T., Milner, K. R., Shaw, B. E., Dawson, T. E., Biasi, G. P., Parsons, T., Hardebeck, J. L., Michael, A. J., Weldon, R. J., Powers, P. M., Johnson, K. M., Zeng, Y., Felzer, K. R., van der Elst, N. J., Madden, C., Arrowsmith, R., Werner, M. J., & Thatcher, W. R. (2017). A Synoptic View of the Third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF3). Seismological Research Letters, 88(5), 1259-1267. doi: 10.1785/0220170045. SCEC Contribution 7165
Akciz, S. O., Marino, J., Olsen, J. O., Marquez, E., Salisbury, J. B., Williams, A. M., Rockwell, T. K., Arrowsmith, R. R., & Grant Ludwig, L. (2015). Filling the paleoseismic gap between Bidart and Frazier Mountain: Exploration of Van Matre Ranch (VMR) paleoseismic site in the Carrizo Plain. Poster Presentation at 2015 SCEC Annual Meeting. SCEC Contribution 6061
Krishnan, A. K., Nissen, E., Saripalli, S., Arrowsmith, R. R., & Hinojosa, A. (2013). Change Detection Using Airborne LiDAR: Applications to Earthquakes. , : Springer International Publishing Switzerland. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-00065-7_49. SCEC Contribution 1770
Haddad, D. E., Zielke, O., Arrowsmith, R. R., Purvance, M. D., Haddad, A., & Landgraf, A. (2012). Estimating two-dimensional static stabilities of precariously balanced rocks from unconstrained digital photographs. Geosphere, 8(5), 1042-1053. doi: 10.1130/GES00788.1. SCEC Contribution 1769
Nissen, E., Krishnan, A. K., Arrowsmith, R. R., & Saripalli, S. (2012). Three-dimensional surface displacements and rotations from differencing pre- and post-earthquake Lidar point clouds. Geophysical Research Letters, 39(16), L16301. doi: 10.1029/2012GL052460. SCEC Contribution 1768
Nissen, E., Arrowsmith, R. R., & Saripalli, S. (2012, 12). Decimeter-resolution fault zone topography mapped with Structure-From-Motion. Oral Presentation at AGU Fall Meeting 2012. SCEC Contribution 1735
Haddad, D. E., Akciz, S. O., Arrowsmith, R. R., Rhodes, D. D., Oldow, J., Zielke, O., Toke, N. A., Haddad, A., Mauer, J., & Shilpakar, P. (2012). Applications of airborne and terrestrial laser scanning to paleoseismology. Geosphere, 8(4), 771-786. doi: 10.1130/GES00701.1. SCEC Contribution 1631
Oskin, M. E., Arrowsmith, R. R., Hinojosa-Corona, A., Elliott, A. J., Fletcher, J. M., Fielding, E. J., Gold, P. O., Gonzàlez-Garcìa, J., Hudnut, K. W., Liu-Zeng, J., & Teran, O. J. (2012). Near-field deformation from the El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake revealed by differential LIDAR. Science, 335(6069), 702-705. doi: 10.1126/science.1213778. SCEC Contribution 1486
Toke, N. A., Arrowsmith, R. R., Rymer, M. J., Landgraf, A., Haddad, D., Busch, M., & Coyan, J. A. (2011). Late Holocene slip rate of the San Andreas fault and its accommodation by creep and moderate-magnitude earthquakes at Parkfield, California. Geology, 39(3), 243-246. doi: 10.1130/G31498.1. SCEC Contribution 1452
Last updated Sep 20, 2023.
