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 Paul Davis, Professor of Geology


Paul Davis 
Mailing Address:

Department of Earth and Space Sciences
University of California, Los Angeles
595 Charles Young Drive East,
Box 951567
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567

Office:Geology 1806
Telephone:(310) 825-1343
Fax:(310) 206-8042
E-mail:pdavis@ess.ucla.edu
Quick Links

 Courses Taught

 

- ESS 136
- ESS 287B

 Current Research Interest

 

Seismic array experiments: Teleseismic tomographic experiments on continental rifts (East African, Rio Grande and Baikal) involving measurements of travel times, attenuation, scattering and SKS anisotropy with objective of evaluating the role of mantle flow in continental tectonics. Los Angeles Regional Seismic Experiment (LARSE) active and passive array transects across LA basin and San Gabriel Mts; Aftershock monitoring to study focusing, trapping and nonlinear effects related to damage from an earthquake. Participant in the Mars seismic program. Numerical simulations of crack interactions and seismic sources on massively parallel computer. Uniform asymptotic theories of seismic scattering. Physical volcanology. Embedded seismic network sensing (http://www.cens.ucla.edu) UCLA seismic array.

 Education

 

Ph.D., 1974, University of Queensland

 Selected Publications

 

Davis, P.M., and F.D. Stacey, Geomagnetic anomaly caused by a man-made lake, Nature, 240, 348-349, 1972 (pdf).

Davis, P.M., L.M. Hastie and F.D. Stacey, Stresses within an active volcano with particular reference to Kilauea, Tectonophysics, 22, 355, 1974 (pdf).

Goulty, N.R., P.M. Davis, R. Gilman and N. Motta, Noise level of surface strainmeter data: Implications for earthquake prediction, Bull. Seism. Soc. Amer., 69, 1983, 1979 (pdf).

Sharp A.D.L., P.M. Davis and F. Gray, Seismic evidence for a magma chamber beneath Mt. Etna, Nature, 287, 1980 (pdf).

Davis, P.M., Surface deformation associated with a dipping hydrofracture, J. Geophys. Res., 88, 5826-5833, 1983.

Davis, P.M., The median valley; a result of magma fracture beneath mid-ocean ridges, Nature, 308, 53-55, 1984 (pdf).

Parker, E.C., P.M. Davis, J.R. Evans, H.M. Iyer and K.H. Olsen, Upwarp of anomalous asthenosphere beneath the Rio Grande rift, Nature, 312, 354, 1984 (pdf).

Davis, P.M., Surface deformation due to inflation of an arbitrarily oriented triaxial ellipsoidal cavity in an elastic half-space with reference to Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, J. Geophys. Res., 91, 7429-7430, 1986.

Yang X - M., and P.M. Davis, Deformation due to a rectangular tension crack in an elastic half-space, Bull. Seism. Soc. Amer., 776, 865-881, 1986 (pdf).

Yang, X - M, P.M. Davis and J.H. Dieterich, Deformation from inflation of a dipping, finite, prolate ellipsoid in an elastic half-space, J. Geophys. Res. Issue 'On how volcanoes work', 93, 4249-4258, 1988.

Davis, P.M., and L. Knopoff, The Dipping Antiplane Crack, Geophysical J. Int., 106, 581-585 1991. Yang, X., P.M. Davis, P.T. Delaney, and A.T. Okamura, Geodetic analysis of dike intrusion and motion of the magma reservoir beneath the summit of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii: 1970-1985, J. Geophys. Res., 97, B3, 3305-3324, 1992.

Bonaccorso, A., and P.M. Davis, Dislocation Modelling of the 1989 Dike Intrusion into the Flank of Mt. Etna, Sicily, J. Geophys. Res., 98. 4261-4268, 1992.

Rendon, H.F., and P.M. Davis, High-frequency Scattering of elastic SH waves from a circular cylinder I, Bull. Seism. Soc. Amer., June, 1-24, 1992 (pdf).

Gao, S., P.M. Davis, H. Liu, P.D. Slack, Yu. A. Zorin, V.V. Mordvinova, V.M. Kozhevnikov, P.D. Burkholder and R.P. Meyer, Seismic Anisotropy and mantle flow beneath the Baikal rift zone, Nature, Sept. 8, 371, 149-151, 1994 (pdf).

Davis, P.M., and L. Knopoff, The elastic modulus of media containing strongly interacting antiplane cracks, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 18253-18258, 1995 (pdf).

Liu, H., S. Gao, and P.M. Davis, SKS splitting beneath southern California, Geophys Res. Letters, 22, 767-770, 1995 (pdf).

Davis, P.M., Tomography and Seismic Anisotropy of Asia and present and past tectonics, in press, Chapter in book edited by A. Yin and M. Harrison, Cambridge University Press, 85-94, 1996.

Gao, S., H. Liu, P.M. Davis, and L. Knopoff, Localized Amplification of Seismic Waves and Correlation with Damage due to the Northridge Earthquake, BSSA. Vol. 86, No. 1B, pp. S209-S230, Feb. 1996 (pdf).

Slack, P.D., P.M. Davis, W. Scott Baldridge, K.H. Olsen, A. Glahn, U. Achauer, and W. Spence, The upper mantle structure of the central Rio Grande Rift region from teleseismic P- and S- wave travel time delays and attenuation, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 16,003-16,023, 1996 (pdf).

Fuis, G.S., D.A. Okaya, R.W. Clayton, W.J. Lutter, T. Ryberg, T.M. Brocher, T.M. Henyey, M.L. Benthien, P.M. Davis, J. Mori, R.D. Catchings, U.S. ten Brink, M. Kohler, K.D. Klitgord, and R. Bohannon, Images of crust beneath southern California will aid study of earthquakes and their effects, EOS, Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 77, 18, 173,176, 1996.

Davis. P.M., P. England and G. Houseman, Comparison of shear wave splitting and finite strain from the India-Asia collision zone, submitted, J. Geophys. Res., 1996 (pdf).

Kohler, M.D.; Davis, P.M. Crustal thickness variations in southern California from Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment passive phase teleseismic travel times. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, vol.87, (no.5), Seismological Soc. America,. p.1330-44, Oct. 1997 (pdf).

Kohler, M.D., J.E. Vidale, and P.M. Davis, Complex scattering within D” observed on the very dense Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment passive array, Geophys. Res. Letters, 15,1855-1858, 1997. Gao, S., P.M. Davis, H. Liu, Yu. A. Zorin, V.V. Mordvinova, V.M. Kozhevnikov and N.A. Logatchev, SKS splitting beneath continental rift zones, in press, J. Geophys. Res., 1997 (pdf).

Bonaccorso, A., and P.M. Davis, Modeling of round deformation from vertical volcanic conduits with application to eruptions of Mt. etna and Mt. St. Helens, J. Geophys. Res., 104,5 10,531-10,542, 1999 (pdf).

Baher, S.A, P.M. Davis and G. Fuis, Separation of site effects and structural focusing in the damage zone from the Northridge earthquake, BSSA, 92, 3134-3151, 2002 (pdf).

Baher, Shirley; Davis, Paul M.: Clayton, Robert; Fuis, Gary S.: report for the Vibroseis data acquired in the Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment (LARSE II), Los Angeles, California, U. S. Geological Survey Open file Report, OF 02-23, 2002.

Davis, P. M., and P. D. Slack, The uppermost mantle beneath the Kenya dome and relation to melting, rifting and uplift in East Africa, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(7), 10.1029/2001GL013676, 21-1-21-4, 2002 (pdf).

Baher, S., and P. M. Davis, An application of seismic tomography to basin focusing of seismic waves and Northridge earthquake damage, J. Geophys. Res., 108,2,doi:10.1029/2001JB001610,22-1, 22-17, 2003 (pdf).

Baher, Shirley, Davis, Paul M.; Fuis, Gary S.: Report for Earthquake data Acquired in the Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment (LARSEII), Los Angeles, California, U. S. Geological Survey Open File Report 03-114, 2003.

Thomas L. Henyey, Gary S. Fuis, Mark L. Benthien, Thomas R. Burdette, Shari A. Christofferson, Robert W. Clayton, Edward E., Criley, Paul M. Davis, James W. Hendley II, Monica D. Kohler, William J. Lutter, John K. McRaney, Janice M. Murphy, David A. Okaya, Trond Ryberg, Gerald W. Simila, and Peter H. Stauffer, The “LARSE” Project—Working Toward a Safer Future for Los Angeles, USGS, fact sheet 110-99, http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/fact-sheet/fs110-99/ (pdf).

Fuis, G.A., R.W. Clayton, P.M. Davis, T. Ryberg, W.J. Lutter, D.A. Okaya, C. Prodehl, M.D. Kohler, E. Hauksson, J.M. Murphy, M.L. Benthien, S.A. Baher, K. Thygesen, G. Simila, and G.R. Keller, Fault systems of the 1971 San Fernando and 1994 Northridge earthquakes, southern California: Relocated aftershocks and seismic images from LARSE II, Geology, 31,2, 171-174, 2003.

Gao. S. S., K. H. Liu, P.M. Davis, P. D. Slack, Y.A. Zorin, V. V Mordvinova, an V. M. Kozhevnikov, Evidence for small scale mantle convection in the upper mantle beneath the Baikal Rift zone, J. Geophys. Res. doi 10.1029/2002JB001976, ESE5-1, ESE5-12, 2003 (pdf).

Davis, P.M., Azimuthal variation in seismic anisotropy of the southern California uppermost mantle, J. Geophys. Res., 108, B1, 2052, 24-1 to 24-18, 2003 (pdf).

Lamb, S. and P.M. Davis, Cenozoic climate change as a possible cause for the rise of the Andes, Nature, v. 425, 792-297, 2003 (pdf).

Bonaccorso, A., and P.M., Davis, Modeling of ground deformation associated with recent lateral eruptions: mechanics of magma ascent and intermediate storage at Mt. Etna, in Mt. Etna: Volcano laboratory, ed. A Bonaccorso, S. Calvari, M. Cotelli, C. Del Negro and S. Falsaperla, American Geophysical Union Monograph, 293-306, 2004.

Lutter, W. J.; Fuis, G. S.; Ryberg, T.; Okaya, D. A.; Clayton, R. W.; Davis, P. M.;Prodehl, C.; Murphy, J. M.; Langenheim, V. E.; Benthien, M. L., Upper Crustal Structure from the Santa Monica Mountains to the Sierra Nevada, Southern California: Tomographic Results from the Los Angeles Regional Seismic Experiment, Phase II (LARSE II), BSSA, 94, 2 ,619-632, 2004 (pdf).

Stacey, F.D. and P.M. Davis, High pressure equations of state with applications to the lower mantle and core, Phys Earth Planet Inter., 142,137-184, 2004 (pdf). Kohler, Safak and Davis, Earthquake and ambient vibration monitoring of the UCLA steel frame Factor building, Earthquake Spectra, 21, 3, 715-736, 2005 (pdf). Husker, A., M.D. Kohler and P.M. Davis, A Basin-Edge Diffraction Catastrophe Identified in Seismic Amplitudes Measured in the Los Angeles Basin, BSSA, 96,1,147-164, 2006 (pdf).

Davis, P.M. and R.W. Clayton, Appl Application of the Telegraph Model to Coda Q Variations in Southern California, J. Geophys. Res., in press, 2007 (pdf).

P. M. Davis, Les géophysiques du système du Rift d’Afrique de l’Est, Africa Book, ed. G. C. P. King, in Press, 2007, (pdf).

Davis, P.M. Elastic modulus of strongly interacting, intersecting antiplane cracks and the approach to the percolation threshold, in preparation 2007.

Stacey, F.D., and P.M. Davis, Physics of the Earth, Edition IV, Cambridge University Press, submitted, 2007.

 Graduate Students

  Allen Husker (uskerhay@moho.ess.ucla.edu)
Igor Stubailo (stubailo@ess.ucla.edu)
Antonio Dominguez
Emily Foote

 
595 Charles Young Drive East • 3806 Geology Building • Box 951567 • Los Angeles • CA 90095-1567  
© 2000-08 Department of Earth and Space Sciences