Koehler and Carver reported in 2018 that Alaska is the most seismically active region of the United States and large, frequent earthquakes pose significant seismic hazards to the state’s infrastructure and inhabitants. Despite the risks associated with high rates of tectonic activity, geologic information on the relative activity of Quaternary faults is sparse.
The authors provided guidance for future earthquake research in Alaska, serve as a resource for seismic hazard studies, and complement the Alaska Quaternary fault database (Koehler and others, 2012a; Koehler, 2013). The author's report summarizes the current state of knowledge pertaining to the paleoseismic characteristics of active faults throughout the state and represents the first comprehensive compilation of paleoseismic data for Alaska. The report is organized into eight seismic source regions, and includes unpublished observations from many active faults briefly visited during field campaigns associated with ongoing infrastructure studies of the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys.
In a summary report of this nature, it is inevitable that some information might have been overlooked. Although additional future paleoseismic characterization of active faults is needed to adequately address seismic hazards and risk in the state, the information presented here contributes to the core charter of the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission by providing data that will ultimately lead to better hazard evaluations and mitigation practices.
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