Office: Earth & Marine Sci. A133
Telephone: (831) 459-3133
Fax: (831) 459-3074
Email: susan@es.ucsc.edu
Dr. Schwartz’s research addresses problems in earthquake seismology, earth structure, active tectonics, and volcano seismology and geodesy. Her research interests include the mechanical behavior of the seismogenic zone at subduction margins, interrogation of the velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle lithosphere at or near plate boundaries, volcanic deformation and seismicity, and seismotectonics of the San Andreas fault system and Costa Rica. Much of her present research is accomplished through the design and implementation of field experiments deploying high quality, portable, seismic and geodetic instruments. Ongoing and recent field projects include:imaging the seismogenic zone with geodesy and seismology across Costa Rica and the Middle America Trench; determination of crustal structure and mantle dynamics associated with the North American/Pacific plate boundary; and investigation of volcanic processes at an active stratovolcano in Costa Rica. In addition to embarking on these relatively new research directions, Dr. Schwartz has also continued her long standing efforts to better understand the spatio-temporal distribution of earthquake moment release and the factors that influence its localization using global seismic network data.
Education
University of Michigan, PhD
Brown University, B.S.