• Professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences

• B.S. in Physics at Wheaton College
• M.S. in Geological Sciences at Northwestern University
• Ph.D. in Geological Sciences at Northwestern University

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As Ice Melts, Antarctic Bedrock Is On The Move Scientists have discovered that as ice melts away from Antarctica, parts of the continental bedrock are rising in response - and other parts are sinking. These results come from POLENET, a growing network of GPS trackers and seismic sensors implanted in the bedrock beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. WUSTL is one of the partners. References: Dec. 29, 2008 — As Ice Melts, Antarctic Bedrock Is On The Move in the SpaceDaily.com

Huge mountain range shouldn't be there A team of scientists, including WUSTL researchers will conduct fieldwork on an Antarctic mountain range. An Antarctic mountain range that rivals the Alps in elevation will be probed this month by an expedition of scientists. Researchers from WUSTL and Penn State will contribute to the fieldwork by using seismic recordings of earthquakes to create images of the crust and mantle beneath the mountain range. References: Oct. 21, 2008 — Huge mountain range shouldn't be there in the MSNBC.com

Monitoring Antarctic Ice Movement Is a Sticky Business Story on a study of the Whillians Ice Stream in West Antarctica and how it moves. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Douglas Wiens, who is lead author of the study, says his team has uncovered evidence that the mammoth expanse of ice is powered by seismic energy in the watery, rocky terrain beneath it. References: June 4, 2008 — Monitoring Antarctic Ice Movement Is a Sticky Business in the Scientific American

Tidal 'icequakes' are shaking Antarctica Slow and cold - but very powerful. That's the quake that shakes the West Antarctic ice shelf twice a day. In the past few years, researchers have noticed that glaciers around the world seem to produce seismic waves that can appear to observers like large earthquakes. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Douglas Wiens and colleagues took a closer look at the seismic waves produced in Antarctica. References: June 4, 2008 — Tidal 'icequakes' are shaking Antarctica in the New Scientist (UK)

Wabash Fault holds high earthquake risk Two WUSTL seismologists say the Wabash fault is the "new kid on the block" to watch. Scientists said the Wabash Valley Fault in Illinois may pose a higher risk to St. Louis than the better-known New Madrid Fault. The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that originated last week on the Wabash Valley Fault was about 120 miles east of St. Louis. WUSTL seismologists Douglas Wiens and Michael Wysession comment. References: April 26, 2008 — Wabash Fault holds high earthquake risk in the United Press International

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PUBLICATIONS
Wiens has been an author or co-author on 54 publications in refereed journals, including:

• Wiens, D. A., and S. Stein, Age dependence of oceanic intraplate seismicity and implications for lithospheric evolution, J. Geophys. Res., 88, 6455-6468, 1983.

• Wiens, D. A., and S. Stein, Intraplate seismicity and stresses in young oceanic lithosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 89, 11442-11464, 1984.

• Wiens, D. A., S. Stein, C. DeMets, R. G. Gordon, and C. Stein, Plate tectonic models for Indian Ocean "intraplate" deformation, Tectonophysics, 132, 37-48, 1986.

• Wiens, D. A., Bathymetric effects on body waveforms from shallow subduction earthquakes and application to seismic processes in the Kurile trench, J. Geophys. Res., 94, 2955-2972, 1989.

• Pelayo, A. M., and D. A. Wiens, Seismotectonics and relative plate motions in the Scotia region, J. Geophys. Res., 94, 7293-7320, 1989.

• Pelayo, A. M., and D. A. Wiens, Tsunami earthquakes: Slow thrust faulting events in the accretionary wedge, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 15321-15337, 1992.

• Wetzel, R. L., D. A. Wiens, and M. C. Kleinrock, Evidence from earthquakes for bookshelf faulting at large non-transform ridge offsets, Nature, 362, 235-237, 1993.

• Wiens, D. A., J. J. McGuire, and P. J. Shore, Evidence for transformational faulting from a deep double seismic zone in Tonga, Nature, 364, 790-793, 1993.

• Flanagan, M. P., and D. A. Wiens, Radial upper mantle attenuation structure of inactive back-arc basins from differential shear wave measurements, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 15469-15485, 1994.

• Wiens, D. A., J. J. McGuire, P. J. Shore, M. G. Bevis, K. Draunidalo, G. Prasad, S. P. Helu, A deep earthquake aftershock sequence and implications for the rupture mechanism of deep earthquakes Nature, 372, 540-543, 1994.

• Wiens, D. A., and J. J. McGuire, The 1994 Bolivia and Tonga events: Fundamentally different types of deep earthquakes?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 22, 2245-2248, 1995.

• Fischer, K. M., and D. A. Wiens, The depth distribution of mantle anisotropy beneath the Tonga subduction zone, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 142, 253-260, 1996.

• Wiens, D. A., and H. J. Gilbert, Effect of slab temperature on deep-earthquake aftershock productivity and magnitude-frequency relations, Nature, 384, 153-156, 1996

• McGuire, J. J., D. A. Wiens, P. J. Shore, M. G. Bevis, The March 9, 1994 (Mw 7.6) deep Tonga earthquake: Rupture outside the seismically active slabJ. Geophys. Res., 102, 15163-15182, 1997.

• Zhao, D., Y. Xu, D. A. Wiens, L. Dorman, J. Hildebrand, S. Webb, Depth extent of the Lau backarc spreading center and its relationship to subduction processes,Science, 278, 254-257, 1997.

• Xu, Y. and D. A. Wiens, Upper mantle structure of the southwest Pacific from regional waveform inversion, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 27439-27451, 1997.

• Koper, K., D. A. Wiens, L. M. Dorman, J. A. Hildebrand, and S. C. Webb, Modeling the Tonga slab: Can traveltime data resolve a metastable olivine wedge?, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 30079-30100, 1998.

• Wiens, D. A.,Source and aftershock properties of the 1996 Flores Sea Deep Earthquake Geophys. Res. Lett., 25, 781-784, 1998.

• Roth, E., D. A. Wiens, L. M. Dorman, J. Hildebrand, and S. C. Webb, Seismic attenuation tomography of the Tonga back-arc region using phase pair methods, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 4795-4809, 1999.

• Koper, K., D. A. Wiens, L. M. Dorman, J. A. Hildebrand, and S. C. Webb, Constraints on the origin of slab and mantle wedge anomalies in Tonga from the ratio of S to P anomalies, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 15089-15104, 1999.

• Koper, K. D., and D. A. Wiens, The waveform effect of metastable olivine in slabs Geophys. Res. Lett., 27,, 573-576, 2000.

• Roth, E. G., D. A. Wiens, and D. Zhao, An empirical relationship betweeen seismic attenuation and velocity anomalies in the upper mantle, Geophys. Res. Lett., in press, 2000.

• Wiens, D. A., and J. J. McGuire, Aftershocks of the March 9, 1994 Tonga earthquake: The strongest known deep earthquake aftershock sequence, J. Geophys. Res., in press, 2000.