In surface-rupturing earthquakes, fault displacement can damage infrastructure that crosses fault zones. In this work, we assessed how well geologists can predict future fault rupture locations from faults mapped based on landforms interpreted from remote sensing datasets like lidar topography and imagery acquired before the earthquakes (Scott et al., 2023, 2024). We also developed a systematic approach to mapping tectonic faults and documenting supporting geomorphology  (Adam et al., 2025). 

Adam, R. N. (MS student), Scott, C., Arrowsmith, J. R., Reano, D., Madugo, C., Koehler, R. D., et al. (2025). A systematic approach to mapping tectonic faults and documenting supporting geomorphology. Geosphere. https://doi.org/10.1130/GES02767.1

Scott, C., Kottke, A., Madugo, C., Arrowsmith, J. R., Adam, R., & Zuckerman, M. (2024). Tectonic Landform and Lithologic Age Impact Uncertainties in Fault Displacement Hazard Models. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(16), e2024GL109145. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109145

Scott, C., Adam, R., Arrowsmith, R., Madugo, C., Powell, J., Ford, J., et al. (2023). Evaluating how well active fault mapping predicts earthquake surface-rupture locations. Geosphere, 19(4), 1128–1156. https://doi.org/10.1130/GES02611.1

As an early application of 3D differencing to earthquakes, we measured for the 3D deformation for the 2016 Mw 7.0 Kumamoto earthquake to resolve the 3D deformation and the structural style of strain accommodation along the primary fault trace and the surrounding damage zone (Scott et al., 2018).  We solved for the cosesismic slip field via a joint inversion of differential lidar, optical correlation, and InSAR surface displacements (Scott et al., 2019). The maximum slip at 4.5-km depth suggested an on-fault slip deficit in the upper several kilometers of the crust that likely reflects distributed and inelastic deformation within the shallow fault zone. 

For the 1983 M6.9 Borah Peak, Idaho, earthquake, we quantified meter-scale vertical change by differencing of 1966 aerial imagery and 2019 lidar-derived data (Scott et al., 2025). Our vertical separation measurements are generally consistent with those from prior studies using field data and post-earthquake topographic data. However, the differencing measurements are a few decimeters lower than prior measurements, indicating that differencing can isolate historical from prehistoric earthquake deformation. Our study demonstrates that revisiting historical earthquakes can provide new insights into the magnitude and patterns of coseismic deformation.

Scott, C. P., Reitman, N. G., & Bello, S. (2025). Unveiling Coseismic Deformation From Differenced Legacy Aerial Photography and Modern Lidar Topography: The 1983 M6.9 Borah Peak Earthquake, Idaho, USA. Geophysical Research Letters, 52(18), e2025GL115882. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115882

Scott, C., Champenois, J., Klinger, Y., Nissen, E., Maruyama, T., Chiba, T., & Arrowsmith, R. (2019). 2016 M7 Kumamoto, Japan, Earthquake Slip Field Derived From a Joint Inversion of Differential Lidar Topography, Optical Correlation, and InSAR Surface Displacements. Geophysical Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082202

Scott, C.P, J.R. Arrowsmith, E. Nissen, L. Lajoie. T. Maruyama, T. Chiba, (2018) The M7 2016 Kumamoto, Japan, Earthquake: 3D deformation within the fault and damage zone constrained from differential topography: Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, doi:10.1029/2018JB015581.

We apply 3D topographic differencing the central San Andreas Fault and present spatially dense creep rates.   Our results show a decade-long average creep rate of less than 10 mm/yr towards the section ends and approximately 30 mm/yr along much of the central creeping fault.  At Mustang Ridge, mapping shows en echelon faults spanning 10 km that appear to accommodate the stepover, but lidar differencing indicates active creep is confined to  4 km.

At Dry Lake Valley, fractures measured in the field, 3D topographic differencing, and InSAR show that deformation is tightly localized within several meters of the San Andreas Fault. Topographic differencing resolves 2.5 ± 0.2 cm/yr of slip and fractures accommodate 2.2 ± 0.7 cm/yr, indicating that ~90% ± 30% of the 1-km-wide deformation is concentrated tightly along the mature fault trace.

Scott, C. P., DeLong, S. B., & Arrowsmith, J. R. (2020). Distribution of Aseismic Deformation Along the Central San Andreas and Calaveras Faults from Differencing Repeat Airborne Lidar. Geophysical Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090628

Scott, C., Bunds, M., Shirzaei, M., & Toke, N. (2020). Creep along the Central San Andreas Fault from Surface Fractures, Topographic Differencing, and InSAR. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB019762

Other publications:
Semi-automatic mapping of normal faults:
Scott, C.P., Giampietro, T., Brigham, C., Leclerc, F., Manighetti, I., Arrowsmith, J. R., et al. (2022). Semiautomatic Algorithm to Map Tectonic Faults and Measure Scarp Height from Topography Applied to the Volcanic Tablelands and the Hurricane Fault, Western US. Lithosphere, 2021(Special 2), 9031662. https://doi.org/10.2113/2021/9031662

Extreme Precipitation Events and Soil Moisture in Chile: 

Scott, C.P., R.B. Lohman, T.E. Jordan, (2017), InSAR constraints on soil moisture evolution after the March 2015 extreme precipitation event in Chile: Nature Scientific Reports, doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05123-4.

Surface cracks and subduction zone earthquakes: 

Scott, C. P., R. W. Allmendinger, G. González, and J. P. Loveless (2016), Coseismic extension from surface cracks reopened by the 2014 Pisagua, northern Chile, earthquake sequence: Geology, doi:10.1130/G37662.1.

Loveless, J.P., C.P. Scott, R.W. Allmendinger, G. González (2016), Slip distribution of the 2014 Mw=8.1 Pisagua, northern Chile, earthquake sequence estimated from coseismic fore-arc surface cracks: Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1002/2016GL070284.

Atmospheric noise in InSAR data: 

Scott, C., and R. Lohman (2016), Sensitivity of earthquake source inversions to atmospheric noise and corrections of InSAR data: Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, doi:10.1002/2016JB012969.

 Triggered earthquakes in the Andes measured with InSAR:

Scott, C., R. Lohman, M. Pritchard, P. Alvarado, S. Sánchez (2014), Andean earthquakes triggered by the 2010 Maule, Chile (Mw 8.8) earthquake: Comparisons of geodetic, seismic and geologic constraints: Journal of South American Earth Sciences, doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2013.12.001