Phone: (650) 329-5074
e-mail: tparsons@usgs.gov

Mailing address:
345 Middlefield Rd MS 977
Menlo Park, CA-94025

Tom Parsons

I study the structure of the Earth using a variety of tools. I use elastic and viscoelatsic modeling techniques to simulate the Earth's response to sudden stress changes caused by magmatic intrusions or earthquakes, and to learn how those changes may inhibit or increase fault slip.

I use sound waves to measure the Earth's structure in active tectonic regions. I'm especially interested in how faults shape the deeper parts of the lithosphere. I apply this information to relate the motion of tectonic plates to slip on individual faults.