Faculty Spotlight: Nicolas Harrichhausen
Dr. Nicolas Harrichhausen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences. Raised in Penticton, British Columbia, he developed an appreciation for the outdoors early on, skiing and mountain biking through the region鈥檚 stunning terrain. He earned his bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in Earth Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara; McGill University; and the University of Victoria, respectively. Dr. Harrichhausen鈥檚 research observes the Earth鈥檚 deformation over time, transforming raw geologic data into knowledge that helps communities鈥攁nd our seawolf students鈥攗nderstand earthquakes.
Professor Harrichhausen took some time out of his day to share the art of interpreting data in geological science, and how students can make sense of its number-heavy world.
Your research focuses on fault geometry (the shape and layout of cracks in the Earth) and seismic hazards (the dangers from earthquakes). What kinds of measurements or data are most critical in your work? How do they help us understand the chances of an earthquake happening?
The most important measurements I gather are offsets of geologic or geomorphic units and the age constraints on those units. By measuring how much a unit has been offset by a fault, or how old that unit is, we can determine how quickly the fault is moving鈥攁lso known as a slip rate. These slip rates are basically an energy budget for earthquakes and are direct inputs into seismic hazard models.
Additionally, if I find signs of an earthquake鈥攍ike an old soil layer covered by shaken or lifted sediment鈥攚e can estimate when it happened by dating the soil and the material. To do this, we use radiocarbon dating and find the age of organic material. We can also use OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence) dating to see the last time a sand grain was exposed to sunlight.
You鈥檝e worked in regions with challenging field conditions. What鈥檚 the most surprising
number or data point you鈥檝e encountered in the field?
This is a tough question, but the biggest surprises occur when an age is very different from what you expect in the field. For example, we dated some glacial sediments on Vancouver Island in Canada. We assumed they were around 12,000 years old (the age of the last glaciation in that location). They were actually much older鈥攁round 40,000 years old. This age meant that they survived erosion by a 2 km thick ice sheet鈥r that the measured ages were wrong.
What鈥檚 one metric or number that you think best captures the complexity or importance
of your research area? Why?
0.8 - 6.1 mm/yr. is the slip rate we estimated for a fault in the high Andes of northern
Ecuador. The outcrops, age dates, and elevation data we had were excellent, yet there
is still almost an order of magnitude difference between the lower bound and upper
bound of the slip rate. This shows that even with a fantastic fault exposure and great
satellite-derived elevation models, the uncertainty of results can be huge. This uncertainty
mirrors the complexity involved in studying earth sciences. Faults are complex. They
interact with other faults鈥攁nd in this case, a nearby active volcano. Therefore, we
need to account for large uncertainties in our data so that it鈥檚 reflected in seismic
hazard calculations.
How do you introduce students to the role of data in geoscience? Are there particular
tools, datasets, or field methods you emphasize in your teaching?
In structural geology, numerical data is essential to research. We need to know everything
about a location, like its latitude, longitude, and elevation. We also need to know
the directions and angles of the rock layers and formations we study in the field.
In the field, I teach students to always be thinking about their location, which direction they are facing, and where they are relative to other places. They start by using a compass and a map to establish their location and direction. After gaining those basic abilities, they can move on to using a GPS, smartphone, or tablet. From the start, it is important to develop those skills without digital technology, so students learn how to 鈥渢hink in 3D鈥�.
Thinking in 3D is also important in the classroom. When teaching, I use examples,
like models of faults, to help students visualize geologic structures. We also utilize
specialized graphical techniques, such as stereonets, to plot and analyze geological
structures.
By focusing on collecting field data and analyzing it with these techniques, I hope
to introduce students to complex numerical datasets and help them be more comfortable
working with them.
In your view, how can we help students become more confident working with quantitative
data in geology, especially those who may not see themselves as 鈥渘umbers people鈥�?
Visuals! Using charts, graphs, maps, and 3D props to represent quantitative data is essential for understanding it. I am not exactly a 鈥渘umbers person,鈥� but by employing visuals, I feel comfortable understanding and working with heavy data.
Looking ahead, are there any big data projects or collaborations you鈥檙e excited about
that could shape the future of geological research at UAA?
The 麻豆无码版 Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) is working on an initiative
to collect more lidar data across 麻豆无码版. This is extremely exciting for me as a fault
researcher at UAA. This will allow us to conduct in-depth studies of known faults,
such as the Denali fault, and to find new faults that will help us understand fault
processes, seismic hazards, and tectonics in 麻豆无码版. This dataset will also be an
incredible asset for understanding volcanic and landslide hazards, in addition to
being an incredible teaching tool to remotely bring students to the field.
Thank you, Dr. Harrichhausen, for helping students and our community to make sense of the numbers.