DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES

Research

My research is based on the mathematical description of seismic sources. Source mechanisms can be determined from the waveforms or spectra of seismic waves, and are described by moment tensors whose six independent entries correspond to couples of forces which allow for arbitrary motions at the source. Moment tensors can be decomposed into components representing geologic processes. The most common decomposition is into an isotropic component, a double-couple component (DC) and a compensated linear vector dipole component (CLVD). While CLVD components may be be required to describe complex source processes, their appearance during the inversion has also been attributed to noise in the data, insufficient station coverage, and uncertainties in the structure of the Earth or the location of the earthquake. In my research, I am aiming at determining whether non-double couple components in seismic moment tensors represent real source processes.

Awards

• Graduate Student Research Award (2022, Northwestern University)
• Graduate Student Teaching Award (2020, Northwestern University)
• Peña Colorada Prize for the best student of the graduating class (2016, University of Colima)
• Graduation with Honors for Thesis Defense (2016, University of Colima)
• Outstanding Academic Achievement Award (2016, University of Colima)
• Scholarship of Excellence for the best student in all eight semesters (2012-2016, University of Colima)

Selected Publications