Coastal Hazards Laboratory
Led by Dr. Tina Dura, the Coastal Hazards Lab specializes in subduction zone paleogeodesy—the study of long-term earthquake and tsunami histories using the geologic record preserved in coastal sediments. Our research focuses on understanding how great earthquakes and tsunamis reshape coastlines over hundreds to thousands of years.
We combine techniques from coastal stratigraphy, sedimentology, micropaleontology (particularly diatom analysis), radiocarbon and isotope dating, and geophysical and sediment transport modeling. In the field, we identify abrupt changes in sediment layers that may signal sudden land-level shifts from earthquakes or tsunami inundation. In the lab, we use high-resolution sediment and microfossil analyses to confirm and date these past events.
Our work informs long-term hazard assessments and advances models of coastal change due to earthquakes, tsunamis, and sea-level rise. The Coastal Hazards Lab is affiliated with the Global Change Center, Coastal Zone Observatory, and Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech. Dr. Dura also leads the Cascadia Paleoseismology Working Group (CPAL) within the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT)—the first center of its kind in the U.S. focused specifically on subduction zone earthquakes. CRESCENT promotes collaboration among academic researchers and government agencies to produce actionable, trustworthy hazard information for communities in the Pacific Northwest.
We combine techniques from coastal stratigraphy, sedimentology, micropaleontology (particularly diatom analysis), radiocarbon and isotope dating, and geophysical and sediment transport modeling. In the field, we identify abrupt changes in sediment layers that may signal sudden land-level shifts from earthquakes or tsunami inundation. In the lab, we use high-resolution sediment and microfossil analyses to confirm and date these past events.
Our work informs long-term hazard assessments and advances models of coastal change due to earthquakes, tsunamis, and sea-level rise. The Coastal Hazards Lab is affiliated with the Global Change Center, Coastal Zone Observatory, and Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech. Dr. Dura also leads the Cascadia Paleoseismology Working Group (CPAL) within the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT)—the first center of its kind in the U.S. focused specifically on subduction zone earthquakes. CRESCENT promotes collaboration among academic researchers and government agencies to produce actionable, trustworthy hazard information for communities in the Pacific Northwest.
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