DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES

My research interests focus on human-induced earthquakes: earthquakes that have been triggered due to human activities such as mining, quarrying, and wastewater injection. To investigate a potential case of induced seismicity in the Greater Chicago area, I am attempting to detect additional, small earthquakes that may have occurred in the past decade. By comparing trends in local seismicity with industrial activity rates over time, we can infer the role of industrial operations on observed earthquakes. Since seismic data in urban areas contain high levels of noise that can both hide and resemble earthquakes, my research primarily involves the application of signal processing and data science methods to “mine” through this data. In this process, I hope to explore the potential benefit of urban noise:  What else can we monitor using seismic data, besides earthquakes?