astronomy

Ruth Harris (scientist)

Ruth Harris (scientist) is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ruth Harris (scientist) rather than just read about it. In short: Ruth Harris is a scientist at the United States Geological Survey known for her research on large earthquakes, especially on how they begin, end, and cause the ground to shake. In 2019, Harris was elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union who cited her "for outstanding contributions to earthquake rupture dynamics, stress transfer, and triggering".

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Reference excerpt

Ruth Harris is a scientist at the United States Geological Survey known for her research on large earthquakes, especially on how they begin, end, and cause the ground to shake. In 2019, Harris was elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union who cited her "for outstanding contributions to earthquake rupture dynamics, stress transfer, and triggering".

Education and career Harris has a B.S. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.S. from Cornell University (1984). After a few years of working, she came to the University of California, Santa Barbara where she earned a Ph.D. in 1991 working with Ralph Archueta. Following her Ph.D., she was a National Research Council postdoctoral investigator at the United States Geological Survey for two years before she was hired in a permanent position. In 2015, Harris served as president of the Seismological Society of America.

Research Harris's research into earthquakes involves a combination of computer simulations and field and laboratory investigations. She is particularly interested in creeping faults, faults that creep for long periods of time while producing multiple small earthquakes. In California, Harris quantified stress within the Parkfield segment of the San Andreas Fault, estimated changes in stress during the 1992 Landers earthquake, and tracked the impact of the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake on subsequent earthquakes in the region. She has simulated the movement of fractures across multiple segments of fault plans, and considered the role of earthquake depth and soil type in determining the strength of earthquakes such as the 2017 Puebla earthquake. Harris led the community effort to validate computer models of earthquakes with field-based verification efforts.

Selected publications Harris, Ruth A.; Segall, Paul (1987). "Detection of a locked zone at depth on the Parkfield, California, segment of the San Andreas Fault". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 92 (B8): 7945–7962. Bibcode:1987JGR....92.7945H. doi:10.1029/JB092iB08p07945. ISSN 2156-2202. Harris, Ruth A.; Simpson, Robert W. (November 1992). "Changes in static stress on southern California faults after the 1992 Landers earthquake". Nature. 360 (6401): 251–254. Bibcode:1992Natur.360..251H. doi:10.1038/360251a0. S2CID 4315800. Harris, Ruth A. (1998). "Introduction to Special Section: Stress Triggers, Stress Shadows, and Implications for Seismic Hazard". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 103 (B10): 24347–24358. Bibcode:1998JGR...10324347H. doi:10.1029/98JB01576. ISSN 2156-2202. Harris, Ruth A. (10 October 1998). "Introduction to Special Section: Stress Triggers, Stress Shadows, and Implications for Seismic Hazard". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 103 (B10): 24347–24358. Bibcode:1998JGR...10324347H. doi:10.1029/98JB01576. Harris, Ruth A. (2017). "Large earthquakes and creeping faults". Reviews of Geophysics. 55 (1): 169–198. Bibcode:2017RvGeo..55..169H. doi:10.1002/2016RG000539. ISSN 1944-9208.

Awards and honors Meritorious Service Award, United States Department of the Interior (2011) Distinguished Alumna Award, University of California, Santa Barbara Department of Earth Science (2016) Fellow, American Geophysical Union (2019)

References

External links Ruth Harris publications indexed by Google Scholar

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ruth Harris (scientist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ruth Harris (scientist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ruth Harris (scientist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ruth Harris (scientist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ruth Harris (scientist)

In research: Ruth Harris (scientist) appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ruth Harris (scientist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ruth Harris (scientist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American seismologists, American women geologists, Cornell University alumni, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ruth Harris (scientist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

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Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

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Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

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