research overview
- Vera Schulte-Pelkum uses seismic methods to image structure and deformation processes in the Earth's crust and mantle, with a focus on linking laboratory and field data to seismic interpretation.
- Contact Info
Schulte-Pelkum, Vera
Positions
- Research Associate, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
- Assoc Research Professor, Geological Sciences
Research Areas
Research
keywords
- seismic anisotropy, structural imaging, convergent boundaries, receiver functions, seismotectonics, array processing, seismic noise wavefield, lithosphere, basin resonance, near-surface characterization for seismic hazard, volcanic systems imaging
Publications
selected publications
-
chapter
- Seismicity and anisotropic imaging reveal an active detachment beneath the northern Alaska Range foothills 2024
-
Passive Source Seismology of the Rocky Mountain Region.
Geophysical Monograph Series.
309-315.
2005
-
conference proceeding
- Transcrustal magmatic fabrics under Alaska volcanoes from harmonic receiver functions (invited) 2022
- Accumulation of partial melt beneath the Cascadia forearc constrained by teleseismic S reflections and P receiver functions. Eos. 2021
- Constraints on Plate Boundary Mechanics from a Comparison of Mantle and Crustal Anisotropy at Continental Transform Faults. Eos. 2021
- Great Unsolved Questions in Tectonophysics: How do Lithospheric Layers and Asthenosphere Interact, and What are Their Rheological Properties as a Function of Depth? (Invited). Eos. 2021
- Great Unsolved Questions in Tectonophysics: What are the transient rheologies of Earth’s lithosphere over the spectrum of deformation timescales, from milliseconds to tens of millions of years? (Invited). Eos. 2021
- Great Unsolved Questions in Tectonophysics: What causes some faults to slip in major earthquakes, while others appear to creep and/or undergo episodic slow slip? (Invited). Eos. 2021
- Great Unsolved Questions in Tectonophysics: What is the Absolute Stress in the Lithosphere and Below? (Invited). Eos. 2021
- Great Unsolved Questions in Tectonophysics: What physics governs fault networks? Can models make non-retrospective predictions that can be supported and/or falsified with near-future observations? (Invited). Eos. 2021
- Great unsolved questions in Tectonophysics: What is the role of inelastic off-fault deformation in the fault life cycle? (Invited). Eos. 2021
- Imaging of Transcrustal Magmatic Oriented Structures and Fabric at Alaskan Volcanoes Using Receiver Function and Surface Wave Anisotropy. Eos. 2021
- Past and Present Deformation along the San Andreas from Microseismicity, Geodesy, and Seismological Constraints. Eos. 2021
- Seismic Anisotropy of Mafic Blueschists: Constraints from Exhumed Glaucophane-Rich Blueschists with Implications for the Subduction Interface. Eos. 2021
- Shallow crustal structure of Southern California by jointly inverting surface wave phase velocity, Rayleigh wave ellipticity, and Receiver Functions. Eos. 2021
- Synthesis of fault geometry, seismicity, and receiver function deep structural fabric to constrain Community Fault (CFM) and Rheology (CRM) Models 2021
- Tectonic inheritance during plate boundary evolution in southern California constrained from seismic anisotropy 2021
- Mapping the deformations patterns of the Grenville 1x2 degree quadrangle in the southern Appalachians' surface in comparison to seismic anisotropy to predict subsurface dipping faults 2021
- East-dipping seismically anisotropic foliation above the Appalachian decollement inferred from azimuthally varying Ps receiver functions at SESAME stations in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont terranes: Implications for Alleghanian deformation patterns in the Appalachian orogen 2021
- Continuity Between Surface and Deep Lithospheric Deformational Grain for the Northern Cordillera Using Transportable Array Receiver Functions. Eos. 2020
- Crustal structure and its tectonic implications to the Banda Arc-Australian continent collision revealed by teleseismic receiver functions. Eos. 2020
- Inherited tectonic grain in southern California inferred from receiver functions and seismicity and possible effects on present-day deformation 2020
- Lowering the Access Threshold to 3-dimensional Visualization and Programming Benchmarks via an Interactive Web Tool: Tensor Visualization Guide (TVguide) for Elasticity Tensor and Seismic Anisotropy Analysis. Eos. 2020
- Newly digitized structural data from the southern Appalachians and comparisons to subsurface anisotropy from seismic stations. Eos. 2020
- Anisotropic strength of fault zones suggested from geodesy and seismic imaging: Example from the Main Himalayan Thrust 2020
- Joint MCMC Inversion of Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity, Ellipticity, and Receiver Functions: Southern California Shear Velocity Model Expanding to the Shallower and Deeper Crust 2020
-
Crustal Deformation in Southern California Constrained by Radial Anisotropy From Ambient Noise Adjoint Tomography.
Geophysical Research Letters.
2020
- (invited) Deep Structure of the Main Himalayan Thrust and Indian Mantle From Structural Imaging, Geodetic Modeling, and Seismicity. Eos. 2019
- (invited) Seismic observations of processes in collisional continental lithosphere: Rheological changes, phase changes, and deformation. Eos. 2019
- S53E-0500 - Shear Velocity Model of Alaska via Joint Inversion of Rayleigh Wave Ellipticity, Phase Velocities, and Receiver Functions across the USArray (Invited). Eos. 2019
- Tectonic inheritance via the influence of crustal composition and deformation fabric on deformation response and the geometry of faults and anisotropic shear zones in California 2019
- Analysis and removal of sediment signal in receiver functions 2019
- LINKING LITHOLOGY, STRUCTURE, AND ROCK PROPERTIES TO OBSERVED SEISMIC ANISOTROPY IN COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN CRUST. GSA Today. 2019
- T41E-0324 Crustal structure of the Nepalese Himalaya revealed by receiver functions and Rayleigh wave dispersion. Eos. 2019
- Analysis and removal of sediment signal in receiver functions 2019
- Deformation and structural evolution of the deep crust and lithosphere from Earthscope seismic data and geological ground truth 2019
- A voyage into central Colorado crust: Linking seismic anisotropy and surface geology 2018
- Mapping modification of deep crustal structure in the Wyoming province using xenoliths, crystalline basement exposures, and receiver functions 2018
- Oblique view through Big Sky orogenic crust in southwestern Montana and potential relations to geophysical structure of northern Wyoming cratonic margin 2018
- Contrasts in lower crustal structure and evolution between the northern and southern Rocky Mountains from xenoliths and seismic data 2016
- Expression of Lithospheric Shear Zones in Rock Elasticity Tensors and in Anisotropic Receiver Functions and Inferences on the Roots of Faults and Lower Crustal Deformation 2016
- Proterozoic assembly signature and its overprint in lower crustal seismic velocity structure across North America 2016
-
journal article
-
Layered Seismic Anisotropy and Tectonics of the Anatolian Plate.
Geophysical Research Letters.
2026
-
Waveform Effects on Shear Wave Splitting Near Fault Zones.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
2025
-
Lithospheric Foundering in Progress Imaged Under an Extinct Continental Arc.
Geophysical Research Letters.
2024
-
Fault-Dike-Magma Interactions Inferred from Transcrustal Conical Structures under Akutan Volcano.
Seismological Research Letters.
2663-2673.
2024
-
Weak, Vertically Stronger Main Himalayan Thrust in the India-Asia Collision.
Geophysical Research Letters.
2024
-
Seismic Anisotropy of Mafic Blueschists: EBSD-Based Constraints From the Exhumed Rock Record.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
2024
-
Confronting Solid-State Shear Bias: Magmatic Fabric Contribution to Crustal Seismic Anisotropy.
Geophysical Research Letters.
2023
-
Constraining the crustal composition of the continental US using seismic observables.
Geological Society of America Bulletin.
2038-2056.
2022
-
Don't judge an orogen by its cover: Kinematics of the Appalachian decollement from seismic anisotropy.
Geology.
1306-1311.
2022
-
Complex Patterns of Past and Ongoing Crustal Deformations in Southern California Revealed by Seismic Azimuthal Anisotropy.
Geophysical Research Letters.
2022
-
Tectonic Fabric in the Banda Arc-Australian Continent Collisional Zone Imaged by Teleseismic Receiver Functions.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.
2022
-
From Crystals to Crustal-Scale Seismic Anisotropy: Bridging the Gap Between Rocks and Seismic Studies With Digital Geologic Map Data in Colorado.
Tectonics.
2022
-
Tectonic Inheritance During Plate Boundary Evolution in Southern California Constrained From Seismic Anisotropy.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.
2021
-
The competing effects of olivine and orthopyroxene CPO on seismic anisotropy.
Tectonophysics.
2021
-
Tectonic inheritance during plate boundary evolution in southern California constrained from seismic anisotropy
2021
-
Shallow Crustal Shear Velocity and Vp/Vs Across Southern California: Joint Inversion of Short-Period Rayleigh Wave Ellipticity, Phase Velocity, and Teleseismic Receiver Functions.
Geophysical Research Letters.
2021
-
Imaging the Tectonic Grain of the Northern Cordillera Orogen Using Transportable Array Receiver Functions.
Seismological Research Letters.
3086-3105.
2020
-
Tectonic Inheritance With Dipping Faults and Deformation Fabric in the Brittle and Ductile Southern California Crust.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
2020
-
Tectonic inheritance from deformation fabric in the brittle and ductile Southern California crust
2020
-
Shear Velocity Model of Alaska Via Joint Inversion of Rayleigh Wave Ellipticity, Phase Velocities, and Receiver Functions Across the Alaska Transportable Array.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
2020
-
Deep Crustal Faults, Shear Zones, and Magmatism in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia: Growth of a Plateau From Teleseismic Receiver Function and Geochemical Mio-Pliocene Volcanism Constraints.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
9833-9851.
2019
-
Mantle earthquakes in the Himalayan collision zone.
Geology.
815-819.
2019
-
Matched Field Processing of Three-Component Seismic Array Data Applied to Rayleigh and Love Microseisms.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
6871-6889.
2018
-
Ten kilometer vertical Moho offset and shallow velocity contrast along the Denali fault zone from double-difference tomography, receiver functions, and fault zone head waves.
Tectonophysics.
56-69.
2017
-
Source modeling of the 2015 Mw 7.8 Nepal (Gorkha) earthquake sequence: Implications for geodynamics and earthquake hazards.
Tectonophysics.
21-30.
2017
-
Characteristics of deep crustal seismic anisotropy from a compilation of rock elasticity tensors and their expression in receiver functions.
Tectonics.
1835-1857.
2017
-
The distribution and composition of high-velocity lower crust across the continental US: Comparison of seismic and xenolith data and implications for lithospheric dynamics and history.
Tectonics.
1455-1496.
2017
-
Imaging Faults and Shear Zones Using Receiver Functions.
Pure and Applied Geophysics.
2967-2991.
2014
-
A method for mapping crustal deformation and anisotropy with receiver functions and first results from USArray.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
221-233.
2014
-
Origins of topography in the western US: Mapping crustal and upper mantle density variations using a uniform seismic velocity model.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
2375-2396.
2014
-
Crustal and uppermost mantle structure in the central US encompassing the Midcontinent Rift.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
4325-4344.
2013
-
Sequential H-κ Stacking to Obtain Accurate Crustal Thicknesses beneath Sedimentary Basins.
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.
2142-2150.
2013
-
Joint inversion of surface wave dispersion and receiver functions: a Bayesian Monte-Carlo approach.
Geophysical Journal International.
807-836.
2013
-
A 3-D model of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Central and Western US by joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
262-276.
2013
-
Apparent Vertical Moho Offsets under Continental Strike-Slip Faults from Lithology Contrasts in the Seismogenic Crust.
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.
2757-2763.
2012
-
Seismic structure and lithospheric rheology from deep crustal xenoliths, central Montana, USA.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.
2012
-
Roles of quartz and mica in seismic anisotropy of mylonites.
Geophysical Journal International.
1123-1134.
2012
-
Differential motion between upper crust and lithospheric mantle in the central Basin and Range.
Nature Geoscience.
619-623.
2011
-
Estimating the Rayleigh-wave impulse response between seismic stations with the cross terms of the Green tensor.
Geophysical Research Letters.
2011
-
TECTONICS Draining Nevada.
Nature Geoscience.
381-382.
2009
-
Seismicity and one-dimensional velocity structure of the Himalayan collision zone: Earthquakes in the crust and upper mantle.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
2006
-
Statistical properties of seismic anisotropy predicted by upper mantle geodynamic models.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
2006
-
Mantle flow under the western United States from shear wave splitting.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
235-251.
2006
-
Imaging the Indian subcontinent beneath the Himalaya.
Nature.
1222-1225.
2005
-
Strong directivity of ocean-generated seismic noise - art. no. Q03004.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.
2004
-
A synthesis of seismic P and S anisotropy.
Geophysical Journal International.
166-178.
2003
-
Large teleseismic P wavefront deflections observed with broadband arrays.
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.
747-756.
2003
-
Upper mantle anisotropy from long-period P polarization.
Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Solid Earth.
21917-21934.
2001
-
Layered Seismic Anisotropy and Tectonics of the Anatolian Plate.
Geophysical Research Letters.
2026
Background
education and training
- Ph.D., University of California-San Diego 2001
- M.S., Ruhr University Boschum (Germany) 1994
- B.S., Ruhr University Boschum (Germany) 1992
International Activities
geographic focus
- Australia Country