Advancing Understanding of Seismology in the Eastern U.S.

Similar to the West Coast, the Central and Eastern United States experience seismic activity—geological movements from earthquakes triggered by energy release along faults. Although seismic activity in these regions rarely reaches an intensity that can be felt by humans, smaller earthquakes do occur and can still damage infrastructure that is less adapted to seismic events. 

Tufts Ph.D. student Elise Meyer explores how to better understand seismic activity in these understudied regions in the Tufts Geohazards Lab led by Laurie Baise, professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering. Meyer recently won a Student Presentation Award at the Seismological Society of America (SSA) annual meeting for her presentation on how to better map seismology throughout the eastern half of the United States.  

Filling in the seismology data gaps 

Seismic stations are locations with instruments that measure and track seismic activity. But with less seismic stations in the Eastern U.S., a lot of seismic activity goes unmonitored. With deeper faults compared to the Western U.S., limited data and harder-to-detect motion has left scientists unaware of where many faults lay. 

“Fewer seismic stations leave us guessing about seismic activity throughout this part of the country,” Meyer explained. “If there was a small earthquake in Boston, we’ll know the seismic activity at, say, two seismic stations at specific locations. But everywhere else in between? There’s no data that can show us how seismic activity is interacting with or affecting infrastructure.” 

Meyer’s presentation centered around her research that used “Did You Feel It?” (DYFI) data to fill in the gaps of seismic data between monitoring stations. As explained in her talk, DYFI is a US Geological Survey system in which people report what they experienced during an earthquake. These reports are aggregated into geographic areas (like ZIP codes) and converted into a single value called Community Decimal Intensity (CDI). The result is a high-resolution map of how shaking was actually experienced, often much denser than traditional seismic networks. 

Meyer analyzed hundreds of thousands of DYFI data reports to show that this data can be used to better understand site amplification—how soil and rocks respond to seismic activity, which affects the stability of infrastructure during seismic events. Site amplification is particularly difficult to study because subsurface conditions like soil and geology can be vastly different within a few feet, let alone many miles.  

Integrating DYFI data can allow scientists to predict soil and geological conditions with better clarity, helping to identify seismology hazards and inform safety precautions. 

Applying research to the real-world 

“Studying seismology can directly impact public safety worldwide,” Meyer said. “It's exciting to me that the work I do can help inform safety that affects my surroundings and community.”  

Passionate about science communication, Meyers is also involved in education and outreach through the National Science Foundation EarthScope Consortium and often seeks out opportunities to share her research. Previous to this award, she won a Presentation Award at the Eastern Section-SSA 2025 annual fall meeting recognizing her excellent research and presentation.   

Learn more about the Tufts Geohazards Lab.