This is my primary Ph.D. project! Seismic attenuation provides valuable insights into the Earth's thermal and rheological properties. To achieve high-resolution 3D absolute body wave attenuation models with uncertainty estimates, we work on modifying the path-average attenuation t* inversion technique and implementing a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach. My research focuses on the fast-converging Tonga subduction zone and its adjacent Lau back-arc, with quantitative constraints on the melt porosities along the back-arc region. (preprint)

The Pampean flat slab beneath the south-central Andes, where the subducted Nazca plate flattens at ~100 km depth, results in a volcanic gap and distinct seismic patterns in the slab and overriding-plate. We apply a modified spectral decomposition method to constrain the sources parameters. Preliminary results suggest similar stress drops between the slab and overriding-plate events, with little depth dependence in the region. In addition, we observe low stress drops in the slab at ~150 km depth, coinciding with a low-velocity and high Vp/Vs zone, potentially indicating slab dehydration.

This work was completed during my 2025 summer internship at EarthScope. We use ambient noise autocorrelation of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) data to image the shallow subsurface in Socorro, NM. Our dataset includes one day of noise recorded on a 930 m fiber-optic cable, compared with a month of broadband seismic data from four co-located seismometers. Both reveal a west-down bedrock offset, consistent with a local normal fault. These results show that DAS offers a reliable and low-cost approach for near-surface imaging.

This work was completed during my 2024 summer internship at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LA-UR-24-32795). The 2016 Mw 5.8 Pawnee earthquake, the strongest recorded in Oklahoma, is believed to be triggered by wastewater disposal and foreshocks, reactivating pre-existing subsurface faults near injection wells. We use the tomoDD package to construct a high-resolution 3D velocity model of the Pawnee area. The high-resolution result indicates flow channels in the relative S-wave velocity structure, likely associated with wastewater injection.

Following the methodology and source studies, this is my final Ph.D. project. The flat subduction of the Pampean slab may contribute to volcanic gaps, anomalous deformation of the overriding plate, and extensive slab dehydration. To investigate these processes, we invert for the body wave attenuation structure to better understand mantle wedge dynamics. Preliminary results of path-average attenuation ​reveal high attenuation anomalies in the back-arc, potentially linked to slab dehydration, and low Qp/Qs ​ratios that may suggest strong P wave scattering attenuation in the overriding lithosphere.

This is my CIDER project in 2023! Recent geophysical observations suggest a weaker, shallower, and sometimes undulating lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) than predicted with thermal models. We investigate the production and extraction of melt from the LAB using thermodynamic and numerical modeling, constrained by geophysical and petrological observations. My role involves compiling seismic and resistivity observations and quantitatively constraining the melt porosities in the selected case study areas.