Anne Meltzer is a seismologist known for her research on earthquakes and the formation of mountain ranges. Her research primarily focused on the evolution of the Earth's

lithosphere A lithosphere () is the rigid, outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite. On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the lithospheric mantle, the topmost portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time ...

and the surface processes associated with faulting and deformation in the Earth's crust. Through her own personal research and collaboration with other colleagues, she strived to make advancements in the efficiency and effectiveness of monitoring earthquakes. In addition, her work aimed to effectively reduce earthquake destruction in countries that experience frequent seismic phenomena.

Education and career

Meltzer has a B.S. in geology from

Guilford College Guilford College is a private liberal arts college in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Guilford has both traditional students and students who attend its Center for ...

(1980), an M.S. in geology from

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

(1982), and Ph.D. in geology and geophysics from

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

(1989). She has worked in industry at Gulf Research and Development Company (1982–1985) and at Exxon Production Research (1989–1990). In 1990 she moved to

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

where she was promoted to professor in 2001. Then in 2002-2004 Meltzer was chaired in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. From 2004 to 2011, she was the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Lehigh University. In 2014 she was named the Francis J. Trembley Chair in Earth and Environmental Sciences. Meltzer made contributions to the concept creation of the

USArray USArray (Seismic and Magnetotelluric Observatory) was one of the three components of the Earthscope project, the other two components being the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) and the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD). The component ...

(an array of transportable seismic stations). Her leadership in her field led to the interest and contribution on the National Science Foundation-EarthScope facility and science program. She had a big part in the crafting play for the EarthScope Facility. In May 2015, Meltzer was a key individual in the on-goings of said workshop, which gathered 100 researchers in sharing the best modern practices of geophysical networks. This led to deployment of an

IRIS Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (given name), a feminine given name, and a list of peopl ...

seismometer in 2016, which was used to record the aftershocks of an earthquake in Ecuador.

Research

The focus of Meltzer's research is the dynamic change that occurs in the continental lithosphere. She conducts her research by analyzing the processes of faulting and deformation in the Earth's crust. Meltzer's research uses seismographic data to examine the formation of new mountain ranges including the

Tibetan Plateau The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or Qingzang Plateau, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central Asia, Central, South Asia, South, and East Asia. Geographically, it is located to the north of H ...

and

Nanga Parbat Nanga Parbat () (; ), known locally as Diamer (), is the ninth-highest mountain on Earth and its summit is at above sea level. Lying immediately southeast of the northernmost bend of the Indus River in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-a ...

in Pakistan. She has examined earthquake faults in Mongolia and characterized the aftershocks of the April 2016 Ecuador earthquake. Off the coast of California, Meltzer has also examined deformation of the oceanic plates in the Santa Maria Basin. Meltzer observes earthquakes to extrapolate data to conclude the source mechanisms of an earthquake. Another critical focus of Meltzer's work is studying how to use new and developing seismic instrumentation to decrease earthquake injuries and death.

Selected publications

*Hoskins, M., Meltzer, A. Font, Y., Agurto-Detzel, H., Vaca, S., Rolandone, F., Nocquet, J.M., Soto-Cordero, L., Stachnik, J., Beck, S., Lynner, C., Ruiz, M., Alvarado, A., Hernandez, S., Charvis, P., Regnier, M., Leon-Rios, S., Rietbrock, A. '', Earth and Planetary Science Letters.'
Triggered crustal earthquake swarm across subduction segment boundary after the 2016 Pedernales, Ecuador megathrust earthquake
* *Lynner, C., Koch, C., Beck, S., Meltzer, A., Soto-Cordero, L., Hoskins, M., Stachnik, J., Ruiz, M., Alvarado, A., Charvis, P., Font, Y., Regnier, M., Agurto-Detzel, H., Rietbrock, A., Porritt, R.(2020
Upper-plate structure in Ecuador coincident with the subduction of the Carnegie Ridge and the southern extent of large mega-thrust earthquakes
* * *Meltzer, Anne, Josh Stachnik, Demberel Sodnomsambuu, Ulziibat Munkhuu, Baasanbat Tsagaan, Mungunsren Dashdondog, and Raymond Russo (201
The Central Mongolia Seismic Experiment: Multiple Applications of Temporary Broadband Seismic Arrays, Seismological Research Letters
*Sirait, A., Meltzer, A., Waldhauser, F., Stachnik, J., Daryono, D., Fatchurochman, I., Jatnika, J., Sembiring, A., 2020. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. .Analysis of the Mw 6.5 December 15, 2017 and the Mw 5.9 January 23, 2018 Java Earthquakes https://doi.org/10.1785/0120200046

Awards and honors

* Fellow,

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, Atmospheric science, atmospheric, Oceanography, ocean, Hydrology, hydrologic, Astronomy, space, and Planetary science, planetary scientists and enthusiasts that ...

(2016) * Ambassador Award, American Geophysical Union (2016) * Hillman Award for Excellence in Graduate Advising (2018)

References

External links

Nanga Parbat Naked Mountain
(from Bullfrog Films) {{DEFAULTSORT:Meltzer, Anne Fellows of the American Geophysical Union Guilford College alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Rice University alumni Lehigh University faculty American seismologists Women geologists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people