SEISMOLOGIST

Wenyuan Fan

I am an observational seismologist, and my research aims to improve understanding of seismic source processes, including earthquakes, slow earthquakes, transient environmental processes, and their interactions and triggering. My research program involves developing novel methodology, analyzing large datasets, and conducting onshore and offshore field experiments. We are always looking for students and postdocs, and there are co-advising/co-mentoring opportunities. Details regarding the SIO PhD application process can be found here.

Publications
  • Jia, Z., W. Fan, W. Mao, and P. M. Shearer, Dual mechanism transition controls rupture development of large deep earthquakes, submitted, 2024.

  • Lin, G. and W. Fan, A transient fluid episode nucleated the 2019 M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake, submitted, 2023.

  • Wong, J. W.C., W. Fan, and A. A. Gabriel, A quantitative comparison and validation of finite-fault models: The 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake, submitted, 2023.

  1. Gong, J., W. Fan, and R. Parnell-Turner, Machine learning-based new earthquake catalog illuminates on-fault and off-fault seismicity patterns at the Discovery Transform Fault, East Pacific Rise, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, doi: 10.1029/2023GC011043, 2023.

  2. Jia, Z., Z. Jin, M. Marchandon, T. Ulrich, A.A. Gabriel, W. Fan, P. M. Shearer, X. Zou, J. Rekoske, F. Bulut, A. Garagon, and Y. Fialko, The complex dynamics of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, Mw 7.8-7.7 earthquake doublet, Science, doi: 10.1126/science.adi0685, 2023.

  3. Fan W., Combining Love and Rayleigh waves in detecting and locating seismic sources, Geophys. J. Int., doi: 10.1093/gji/ggad250, 2023.

  4. DeSalvio, N. D. and W. Fan, Ubiquitous earthquake dynamic triggering in southern California, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth, doi: 10.1029/2023JB026487, 2023. PDF

  5. Shearer, P. M. and W. Fan, Space–Time Asymmetry in Earthquake Pairs along the Central San Andreas Fault: Evidence for Small Earthquake Links at Long Distances, The Seismic Record, doi: 10.1785/0320230002, 2023. PDF

  6. Liu, T., J. Gong, W. Fan, and G. Lin, In-situ Vp/Vs ratio reveals fault-zone material variation at the westernmost Gofar transform fault, East Pacific Rise, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth, doi: 10.1029/2022JB025310, 2023. PDF

  7. Luo, X., W. Fan, and Y. Fialko, A joint seismic and space-based investigation of the 2016 Lamplugh Glacier and 2017 Wrangell Mountains (Alaska) landslides, J. Geophys. Res.: Earth Surface, doi: 10.1029/2022JF006903, 2023. PDF

  8. Shearer, P. M., H. Meng, and W. Fan, Earthquake detection using a nodal array on the San Jacinto fault in California: Evidence for high foreshock rates preceding many events, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth, doi: 10.1029/2022JB025279, 2022. PDF

  9. Gong, J. and W. Fan, Seismicity, fault architecture, and slip mode of the westernmost Gofar transform fault, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth, doi: 10.1029/2022JB024918, 2022. PDF

  10. Neo, J. C., W. Fan, Y. Huang, and D. Dowling, Frequency-difference backprojection of earthquakes, Geophys. J. Int., doi: 10.1093/gji/ggac323, 2022. PDF

  11. Fan, W., R. Okuwaki, A. J. Barbour, Y. Huang, G. Lin, and E. S. Cochran, Fast rupture of the 2009 Mw 6.9 Canal de Ballenas earthquake in the Gulf of California dynamically triggers seismicity in California, Geophys. J. Int., doi: 10.1093/gji/ggac059, 2022. PDF

  12. Fan, W., A. J. Barbour, J. J. McGuire, Y. Huang, G. Lin, E. S. Cochran, and R. Okuwaki, Very low frequency earthquakes in between the seismogenic and tremor zones in Cascadia?, AGU Advances, doi: 10.1029/2021AV000607, 2022. PDF

  13. Gong, J., W. Fan, and R. Parnell-Turner, Microseismicity indicates atypical small-scale plate rotation at the Quebrada transform fault system, East Pacific Rise, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: 10.1029/2021GL097000, 2022. PDF

  14. Okuwaki, R. and W. Fan, Oblique convergence causes both thrust and strike-slip ruptures during the 2021 M 7.2 Haiti earthquake, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: 10.1029/2021GL096373, 2022. PDF

  15. Okuwaki, R., S. Hicks, T. Craig, W. Fan, S. Goes, T. Wright, and Y. Yagi, Illuminating a Contorted Slab with a Complex Intraslab Rupture Evolution during the 2021 Mw 7.3 East Cape, New Zealand Earthquake, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: 10.1029/2021GL095117, 2021. PDF

  16. Lin, G., V. A. Huerfano, and W. Fan, Crustal architecture of Puerto Rico using body-wave seismic tomography and high-resolution earthquake relocation, Seismol. Res. Lett., doi: 10.1785/0220210223, 2021. PDF

  17. Meng, H. and W. Fan, Immediate foreshocks indicating cascading rupture developments for 527 M 0.9 to 5.4 Ridgecrest earthquakes, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: 10.1029/2021GL095704, 2021. PDF

  18. Okuwaki, R., W. Fan, M. Yamada, H. Osawa, and T.J. Wright, Identifying landslides from continuous seismic surface waves: a case study of multiple small-scale landslides triggered by Typhoon Talas, 2011, Geophys. J. Int., doi: 10.1093/gji/ggab129, 2021. PDF

  19. Fan, W., A. J. Barbour, E. S. Cochran, and G. Lin, Charateristics of frequent dynamic triggering of microearthquakes in Southern California, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth, doi: 10.1029/2020JB020820, 2020. PDF

  20. Fan, W., J.J. McGuire, and P.M. Shearer, Abundant spontaneous and dynamically triggered submarine landslides in the Gulf of Mexico, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: 10.1029/2020GL087213, 2020. PDF

  21. ten Brink, U., Y. Wei, W. Fan, J. Granjia-Bruna, and N. Miller, Mysterious tsunami in the Caribbean Sea following the 2010 Haiti earthquake possibly generated by dynamically triggered early aftershocks, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116269, 2020. PDF

  22. Fan, W., J.J. McGuire, C. de Groot-Hedlin, M. A.H. Hedlin, S. Coats, and J. W. Fiedler, Stormquakes, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: 10.1029/2019GL084217, 2019. PDF

  23. Neely, J. S., Y. Huang, and W. Fan, Earthquake rupture characteristics along a developing transform boundary, Geophys. J. Int., doi: 10.1093/gji/ggz357, 2019. PDF

  24. Fan, W., S. S. Wei, D. Tian, J.J. McGuire, and D. A. Wiens, Complex and diverse rupture processes of the 2018 Mw 8.2 and Mw 7.9 Tonga-Fiji deep earthquakes, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi: 10.1029/2018GL080997, 2019. PDF

  25. Fan, W., C. de Groot-Hedlin, M. A.H. Hedlin, and Z. Ma, Using surface waves recorded by a large mesh of three-element arrays to detect and locate disparate seismic sources, Geophys. J. Int.,doi: 10.1093/gji/ggy316, 2018. PDF

  26. Fan, W. and J. J. McGuire, Investigating microearthquake finite source attributes with IRIS Community Wavefield Demonstration Experiment in Oklahoma, Geophys. J. Int., doi: 10.1093/gji/ggy203, 2018. PDF

  27. Fan, W. and P. M. Shearer, Coherent seismic arrivals in the P‐wave coda of the 2012 Mw 7.2 Sumatra earthquake: water reverberations or an early aftershock?, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth, doi: 10.1002/2018JB015573, 2018. PDF

  28. Fan, W., D. Bassett, J. Jiang, P. M. Shearer, and C. Ji, Rupture evolution of the 2006 Java tsunami earthquake and the possible role of splay faults, Tectonophysics, doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2017.10.003, 2017. PDF

  29. Fan, W. and P. M. Shearer, Investigation of back-projection uncertainties with M6 earthquakes, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth, doi: 10.1002/2017JB014495, 2017. PDF

  30. Fan, W. and P. M. Shearer, Local near instantaneously dynamically triggered aftershocks of large earthquakes, Science, 353, 1133-1136, doi: 10.1126/science.aag0013, 2016. PDF

  31. Fan, W., P. M. Shearer, C. Ji, and D. Bassett, Multiple branching rupture of the 2009 Tonga-Samoa earthquake, J. Geophys. Res, 121, doi: 10.1002/2016JB012945, 2016. PDF

  32. Mai PM, Schorlemmer D, Page M, Ampuero JP, Asano K, Causse M, Custodio S, Fan W, Festa G, Galis M, Gallovic F. et al., The earthquake‐source inversion validation (SIV) project. Seismol. Res. Lett., 87, no. 3, doi: 10.1785/0220150231, 2016. PDF

  33. Fan, W. and P. M. Shearer, Fault interactions and triggering during the 10 January 2012 Mw 7.2 Sumatra earthquake, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 1934–1942, doi: 10.1002/2016GL067785, 2016. PDF

  34. Melgar, D., W. Fan, S. Riquelme, J. Geng, C. Liang, M. Fuentes, G. Vargas, R. M. Allen, P. M. Shearer, and E. J. Fielding, Slip segmentation and slow rupture to the trench during the 2015, Mw8.3 Illapel, Chile earthquake, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 961–966, doi: 10.1002/2015GL067369, 2016. PDF

  35. Denolle, M. A., W. Fan, and P. M. Shearer, Dynamics of the 2015 M7.8 Nepal earthquake, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 7467-7475, doi: 10.1002/2015GL065336, 2015. PDF

  36. Fan, W. and P. M. Shearer, Detailed rupture imaging of the 25 April 2015 Nepal earthquake using teleseismic P waves, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 7467-7475, doi: 10.1002/2015GL064587, 2015. PDF

  37. Fan, W., Y.J. Chen, Y. Tang, S Zhou, Y. Feng, H. Yue, H. Wang, G. Jin, S. Wei, Y. Wang, Z. Gai, and J. Ning, Crust and Upper Mantle Velocity Structure of the eastern Tibetan Plateau and adjacent regions from Ambient Noise Tomography, Chinese J. Geophys., (in Chinese), 58(5),: 1568-1583, doi: 10.6038/cjg20150510, 2015. PDF

  38. Fan, W., P. M. Shearer, and P. Gerstoft, Kinematic earthquake rupture inversion in the frequency domain, Geophys. J. Int., 199, 1138-1160, doi: 10.1093/gji/ggu319, 2014. PDF

  39. Yue, H., Y. Chen, E. Sandvol, J. Ni, T. Hearn, S. Zhou, Y. Feng, Z. Ge, A. Trujillo, Y. Wang, G. Jin, M. Jiang, Y. Tang, X. Liang, S. Wei, H. Wang, W. Fan, and Z. Liu, Lithospheric and upper mantle structure of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth 117, B05307, doi: 10.1029/2011JB008545, 2012. PDF

  40. Tang, Y., Y. Chen, H. Wang, S. Zhou, J. Ning, Y. Yang, Z. Ding, R. Liu, Y. Feng, P. Li, C. Yu, S. Wei, and W. Fan, Ambient noise tomography in north China craton, Chinese J. Geophys., (in Chinese), 54(8), 2011--2022, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.0001-5733.2011.08.008, 2011.

  41. Tang, X., W. Fan, Y. Feng., Y. Tang., Y. J. Chen, and L. Zhu, Phase velocity tomography of Rayleigh wave in Xinjiang from ambient noise, Chinese J. Geophys., (in Chinese), 54(8).: 2042-2049, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.0001-5733.2011.08.011, 2011.

  42. Jiang, M., S. Zhou, E. Sandvol, X. Chen, X. Liang, Y. Chen, and W. Fan, 3-D lithospheric structure beneath southern Tibet from Rayleigh-wave tomography with a 2-D seismic array, Geophys. J. Int. 185, 593-608, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2011.04979.x, 2011. PDF

  43. Wei, S., Y. Chen, E. Sandvol, S. Zhou, H. Yue, G. Jin, T. Hearn, M. Jiang, H. Wang, W. Fan, Z. Liu, Z. Ge, Y. Wang, Y. Feng, and J. Ni, Regional earthquakes in northern Tibetan Plateau: Implications for lithospheric strength in Tibet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L19307, doi: 10.1029/2010GL044800, 2010. PDF

  44. Tang, Y., Y. Feng, Y. Chen, S. Zhou, J. Ning, S. Wei, P. Li, C. Yu, and W. Fan, Receiver function analysis at Shanxi Rift, Chinese J. Geophys., (in Chinese) 53(9), 2102-2109, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.0001-5733.2010.09.010, 2010.