Work and Education

University of Colorado Boulder — Assistant Professor, Department of Geological Sciences and CIRES, 2024 to present

U.S. Geological Survey — Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, 2019 to 2023
Research Groups: Induced Seismicity, Deformation
Research Project: Investigating aseismic and seismic moment release in geothermal settings in California

University of California, Berkeley — PhD in Earth and Planetary Science, 2019
Advisor: Roland Bürgmann
Research Project: Geodetic investigation of compliant fault zones on the San Francisco Peninsula segment of the San Andreas Fault

Massachusetts Institute of Technology — BS in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science, 2014
Advisor: Tom Herring
Research Project: Analysis of atmospheric delays and asymmetric positioning errors in the Global Positioning System

Teaching Experience

Our Deadly Planet (GEOL 1170) — Fall 2024
Principles of Geophysics (GEOL 3330) — Spring 2024
Structural Geology and Tectonics (EPS116) TA — Spring 2017
Case Studies in Earth and Planetary Science (EPS150) TA — Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014
Instructor in the Compass Summer Program (undergraduate physics course) — Summer 2015
Undergraduate TA in Classical Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism (8.01 and 8.02) — 2011, 2012

Mentoring Experience

Mentor for three Earthscope RESESS interns in Boulder — Summer 2024
Mentor for USGS Pathways Intern — Summer 2022
Mentor for USGS Pathways Intern — Summer 2021
Mentor for two UC Berkeley undergraduate students' summer projects — Summer 2019

Publications

Materna, K., R. Bürgmann, D. Lindsay, R. Bilham, T. Herring, B. Crowell, and W. Szeliga (2024), Shallow slow slip events in the Imperial Valley with pulse-like propagation, Geophysical Research Letters, 51, e2023GL108089. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL108089.

Jiang, G., A. Barbour, R. Skoumal, K. Materna, and A. Crandall-Bear (2024), Relatively stable pressure effects and time-increasing thermal contraction control Heber geothermal field deformation, Nature Communications, 51. Link.

Shelly, D. R., D. Goldberg, K. Materna, R. Skoumal, J. Hardebeck, C. Yoon, W. Yeck, and P. Earle (2024), Evidence for coseismic-postseismic fault interactions at the Mendocino triple junction the 2022 Mw 6.4 Ferndale, California earthquake sequence, Science Advances, 10, 10, doi:10.1126/sciadv.adl1226. Link.

K. Materna, J. Murray, F. Pollitz, and J. Patton (2023), Slip deficit rates on southern Cascadia faults resolved with viscoelastic earthquake cycle modeling of geodetic deformation, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, https://doi.org/10.1785/0120230007.  Link.

Maurer, J., and K. Materna (2023), Quantification of geodetic strain rate uncertainties and implications for seismic hazard estimates, Geophysical Journal International, 234, 3, p. 2128-2142, doi: 10.1093/gji/ggad191. Link.  High-Res Figure.

Yeck, W., D. Shelly, K. Materna, D. Goldberg, and P. Earle (2023), A moderate-sized triggered yet concurrent multi-fault rupture at the Mendocino Triple Junction, Communications Earth and Environment, 4, doi:10.1038/s43247-023-00752-2. Link.

Zhao, D., C. Qu, X. Shan, R. Bürgmann, and K. Materna (2022), Transient fault creep on the Xidatan (Tibet) fault driven by viscoelastic relaxation following the 2001 Kokoxili earthquake, Geology, doi:10.1130/G50380.1. Link.

Materna, K., A. Barbour, J. Jiang, and M. Eneva (2022), Detection of aseismic slip and poroelastic reservoir deformation at the North Brawley Geothermal Field from 2009-2019, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, doi:10.1029/2021JB023335. Link. 

Materna, K., L. Feng, E. Lindsey, E. Hill, A. Ahsan, A. K. M. Alam, K. Oo, O. Than, T. Aung, S. Khaing, and R. Bürgmann (2021), GNSS characterization of hydrological loading in South and Southeast Asia, Geophysical Journal International, doi:10.1093/gji/ggaa500. Link.

Materna, K., N. Bartlow, A. Wech, C. Williams, and R. Bürgmann (2019), Dynamically Triggered Changes of Plate Interface Coupling in Southern Cascadia, Geophysical Research Letters, doi: 10.1029/2019GL084395.

Yan, J., D. Dong, R. Bürgmann, K. Materna, W. Tan, Y. Peng, and J. Chen (2019), Separation of Sources of Seasonal Uplift in China Using Independent Component Analysis of GNSS Time Series, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 124, doi: 10.1029/2019JB018139.

Materna, K., S. Wei, X. Wang, L. Heng, T. Wang, W. Chen, R. Salman, and R. Bürgmann (2019), Source characteristics of the 2017 Mw 6.4 Moijabana, Botswana earthquake, a rare lower-crustal event within an ancient zone of weakness, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 506, p. 348-359, doi:10.1016/j.epsl/2018.11.007.

Materna, K., T. Taira, and R. Bürgmann (2018), Aseismic transform fault slip at the Mendocino Triple Junction from Characteristically Repeating Earthquakes, Geophysical Research Letters, 45, doi: 10.1002/2017GL075899.

Milliner, C., K. Materna, R. Bürgmann, Y. Fu, A. Moore, D. Bekaert, S. Adhikari, and D. Argus (2018), Tracking the weight of Hurricane Harvey's stormwater using GPS data, Science Advances, 4, eaau2477.

Xu, W., S. Wu, K. Materna, R. Nadeau, M. Floyd, G. Funning, E. Chaussard, C. Johnson, J. Murray, X. Ding, and R. Bürgmann (2018), Interseismic ground deformation and fault slip rates in the greater San Francisco Bay Area from two decades of space geodetic data, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 123, doi: 10.1029/2018JB016004.

Materna, K. and R. Bürgmann (2016), Contrasts in compliant fault zone properties inferred from geodetic measurements in the San Francisco Bay Area, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 121, doi: 10.1002/2016JB013243.

Conference Presentations

Materna, K., et al. (2024), The Mendocino Triple Junction: Faulting Complexity Onshore and Offshore, plenary talk presented at the 2024 SCEC Meeting, Palm Springs, CA, 8-11 Sept.

Materna, K., J. Murray, L. Sandoe, and R. Bürgmann (2021), Quantifying interseismic slip rates on faults at the Mendocino Triple Junction, plenary talk presented at the 2021 USGS Northern California Earthquake Hazards Workshop, 2–4 Feb. 

Materna, K., T. Taira, and R. Bürgmann (2019), Aseismic slip at the Mendocino Triple Junction from repeating earthquakes (invited), presented at 2019 Seismological Society of America Meeting, Seattle, Washington, 23-26 Apr.

Materna, K., N. Bartlow, and R. Bürgmann (2018), Kinematics of active deformation at the Mendocino Triple Junction, Abstract G22A-07 presented at 2018 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Washington, D.C., 10–14 Dec.

Materna, K., L. Feng, E. Lindsey, E. Hill, and R. Bürgmann (2017), Comparison of GPS and GRACE hydrological loading signatures in Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, Abstract G53B-03 presented at 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, New Orleans, LA, 11–15 Dec.

Materna, K., T. Taira, and R. Bürgmann (2016), Measuring aseismic slip through characteristically repeating earthquakes at the Mendocino Triple Junction, Northern California, Abstract S43D-08 presented at 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 12–16 Dec.

Materna, K. and R. Bürgmann (2015), Geodetic Investigation of Compliant Fault Zones on the San Francisco Peninsula segment of the San Andreas Fault, Abstract T53B-03 presented at 2015 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 14–18 Dec.

Selected Poster Presentations

*J. Genero, K. Materna, R. Bilham (2024), An Investigation of Coseismic and Aseismic Slip on the Imperial Fault, Southern California, Abstract presented at the 2024 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Washington, D.C., 9-13 Dec.

Materna, K., *X. Garcia, A. Barbour (2022), Modeling of InSAR interferograms in the Brawley Seismic Zone during the Calipatria, California earthquake swarm of June 2021, Abstract presented at the 2022 NISAR Science Workshop, Pasadena, CA, Aug 31– Sept 1.

Materna, K., J. Murray, F. Pollitz and J. Patton (2022), Interseismic fault loading in California’s North Coast constrained by geodetic data, Abstract presented at the 2022 SAGE/GAGE Meeting, 14–16 Jun.

Materna, K., J. Jiang, and M. Eneva (2020), A decade of geodetic deformation linked to fluid injection at the North Brawley Geothermal Field (invited), Abstract T012-0004 presented at the 2020 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, 7–11 Dec.

*Sandoe, L., K. Materna, D. Lindsay, and R. Bürgmann (2020), Clustering interseismic strain rates near the Mendocino Triple Junction, Abstract G021-0002 presented at the 2020 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, 7–11 Dec. 

E. Tymofyeyeva, D. Sandwell, X. Xu, Z. Liu, K. Materna,, K. Wang, G. Funning, D. Bekaert, and M. Floyd (2020), Current status and future plans for the Community Geodetic Model (InSAR) products, Abstract presented at the 2020 Southern California Earthquake Center Meeting, 14–17 Sept.

Materna, K., *S. Mohanna, *L. Sandoe, N. Bartlow, and R. Bürgmann (2019), Interseismic strain accumulation and uplift at the Mendocino Triple Junction from geodetic datasets, Abstract G41B-0719 presented at the 2019 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 9–13 Dec.

Milliner, C., K. Materna, R. Bürgmann, Y. Fu, D. Bekaert, A. Moore, S. Adhikari, and D. Argus (2018), Tracking the Weight of Hurricane Harvey's Stormwaters Using GPS data, Abstract G43C-0727 presented at the 2018 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Washington, D.C., 10–14 Dec.

Materna, K. and R. Bürgmann (2018), Deformation kinematics at the Mendocino Triple Junction, presented at the 2018 Wegener Conference, Grenoble, France, 10–13 Sept.

Materna, K., T. Taira, and R. Bürgmann (2017), Aseismic slip from characteristically repeating earthquakes at the Mendocino Triple Junction, Abstract 074 presented at the 2017 Earthscope National Meeting, Anchorage, AK, 16-18 May.

Materna, K. and T.A. Herring (2013), Analysis of skewed GPS position estimates: Effects of coupling local topography and atmospheric conditions, Abstract G53A-0907 presented at 2013 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 9–13 Dec.

(*) student advisee

Seminars

Tulane University Earth and Environmental Sciences Department Seminar, February 23, 2024
AGU Geodesy Section Early-Career Webinar, October 27, 2023
USGS Earthquake Science Center Seminar, August 21, 2023
USGS Geological Hazards Science Center Seminar, March 21, 2023
CIRES Seminar, March 16, 2023
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, June 13, 2022
Lawrence Livermore GMP Seminar, June 11, 2020
Caltech Seismo Lab Seminar, November 1, 2019
UC Berkeley Seismology Lab Seminar (Exit Seminar), September 24, 2019
UC Santa Cruz IGPP Seminar, May 24, 2019
USGS Earthquake Science Seminar, April 10, 2019
USGS Earthquake Science Seminar, January 10, 2018

Awards

SCEC “Best Poster Visual” People’s Choice Award — 2023
AGU Outstanding Reviewer for Journal of Geophysical Research: Soild Earth — 2020
NSF EAPSI Singapore Fellow — 2017
Outstanding Student Paper Award, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting — 2016
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship — 2016
Berkeley Graduate Fellowship, University of California Berkeley — 2014
Outstanding Student Paper Award, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting — 2014
EAPS W.O. Crosby Award for Sustained Excellence, MIT — 2014
EAPS Junior Achievement Award, MIT — 2013

Service and Synergistic Activities

Guest Instructor, CIDER Workshop, Berkeley CA, June 2023
Mentor/Instructor, MTMOD Megathrust Modeling Workshop, August 2022
Instructor, UNAVCO/Earthscope GMTSAR short course, July 2020, July 2021, July 2022, and July 2023
USGS Earthquake Science Center Seminar Chair, 2020
Session chair or co-chair for AGU Fall Meeting, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2024
Has reviewed for: JGR, GRL, BSSA, SRL, Tectonophysics, Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Earth and Space Science, G3, GJI

Media Mentions

Interviewed for Scott, C., 2020, "Some tectonic plates ‘wobble’ before major earthquakes", Temblor, http://doi.org/10.32858/temblor.108. Temblor Article.