Welcome to the University of Rhode Island Seismology Lab
Prospective Students
Undergraduate Research. University of Rhode Island undergraduates with strong math, physics, and/or computer skills and interested in conducting geophysical research in the Lab are encouraged to email Prof. Yang Shen with a copy of their CV and course transcripts. Undergraduates from other institutions interested in summer research experience may apply for the SURFO program at the Graduate School of Oceanography.
Graduate Program. We look for exceptionally motivated students interested in earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, deep earth structures, and/or machine learning and high-performance computing. Prospective graduate applicants should contact Prof. Yang Shen directly.
What is Happening in the Lab?
09-2024. Yang Shen, Zhangbao Cheng, and Sofia DaSilva recovered nodal seismometers on the Island of Hawaii. Former Ph.D student, Xiaozhuo Wei, now a postdoc at Caltech also participated in the fieldwork. This was the first of two deployments in Hawaii to study the spatial and temporal variations of the volcanic rift zones in a collaborative project with Jamie Farrel and Fan-Chi Lin of University of Utah.
07-2024. Yang Shen joined Emile Hooft, Doug Toomey, Garrett Ito, and students on the ocean-bottom seismometer recovery cruise offshore Galapagos Islands. About 50 broadband OBSs were recovered. The project aims to understand the interaction between the spreading center and the hotspot (mantle plume).
In the Media
05-2023 Rhody Today: Xiaozhu Wei awarded Barr Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
Summer 2021: Anticipate the next big one
Volcanic engine under Washington
08-2017: IFL Science
Special Events
2018 Kilauea Earthquake and Eruption. In April 2018, the Kilauea summit lava lake catastrophically drained, sending magma to the Lower East Rift Zone where it began to erupt. This was accompanied by a dramatic increase in seismicity at the summit and surrounding regions. On May 4, a M6.9 earthquake occurred beneath the south flank, and since then thousands of aftershocks have been recorded. In collaboration with the Western Washington University and Rice University, we deployed 12 ocean-bottom seismometers (OBSs) offshore Kilauea to record the aftershocks and hydro-acoustic activities at the lava entry. Stay tuned for updates.
2017 North Korean Nuclear Test. On 2017-09-03, North Korea conducted a nuclear test measured magnitude 6.3, its largest test to date (read more).
June 2013 Meteotsunami on the U.S. East Coast. Tsunami waves generated by an eastward-moving severe weather front hit the U.S. East Coast on June 13, 2013, causing minor property damages and injuries (read more).
About Us
The Seismology Lab uses seismic waves to investigate the structure and dynamics of the Earth's interior and applies research in understanding earthquake and volcanic hazards and monitoring underground nuclear tests. We deploy seismometers on the ocean floor or on land, often in remote areas such as the East Pacific Rise, Iceland, Tibet, and Solomon Islands. We develop and apply advanced methods based on simulation of wave propagation in 3D Earth models. We invite highly motivated graduate and undergraduate students, postdocs, and visiting scholars to join our Lab. For inquiries, please contact Yang Shen, Brian Savage, or Matt Wei.
Links and Resources
Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, URI High Performance Computing
IRIS (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology), USGS Earthquake Catalog