Joshua Russell

NSF EAR Postdoctoral Fellow

Brown University

I am a seismologist studying upper mantle processes. My research focuses primarily on surface-wave imaging of the oceanic lithosphere-asthenosphere system using ocean bottom data. I am interested in the structure and evolution of the oceanic upper mantle, including how the lithosphere forms and evolves, the nature of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, and in situ constraints on mantle petrofabrics. I also have an interest in using data visualization and sonification as a tool for science communication and outreach.

Interests

Mantle dynamics
Ocean bottom seismology
Structure and evolution of oceanic lithosphere
Surface-wave imaging
Seismic anisotropy

Education

PhD in Seismology, 2021

Columbia University
MPhil in Seismology, 2019

Columbia University
MA in Seismology, 2017

Columbia University
BS in Physics, 2015

University of Missouri - Columbia

Research

Publications

J.B. Russell, J.B. Gaherty (2021). Lithosphere structure and seismic anisotropy offshore eastern North America: Implications for continental breakup and ultra-slow spreading dynamics. Journal of Geophysical Research.

PDF DOI

Z.C. Eilon, J.B. Gaherty, L. Zhang, J.B. Russell, S. McPeak, J. Phillips, D.W. Forsyth, G. Ekström (2021). The Pacific OBS Research into Convecting Asthenosphere (ORCA) Experiment. Seismological Research Letters.

PDF DOI

J.M. Maurer, J.M. Schaefer, J.B. Russell, S. Rupper, N. Wangdi, A. Putnam, N. Young (2020). Seismic observations, numerical modeling, and geomorphic analysis of a glacier lake outburst flood in the Himalayas. Science Advances.

PDF DOI

N.J. Accardo, J.B. Gaherty, D.J. Shillington, E.Hopper, A.A. Nyblade, C.J. Ebinger, C.A. Scholz, P.R.N. Chindandali, R. Wambura-Ferdinand, G. Mbogoni, J.B. Russell, B.K. Holtzman, C. Havlin, C. Class (2020). Thermo‐chemical modification of the Upper Mantle beneath the Northern Malawi Rift Constrained from Shear Velocity Imaging. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.

PDF DOI

W. Menke, J.B. Russell (2020). Non-Double-Couple Components of the Moment Tensor in a Transversely Isotropic Medium. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.

PDF DOI

Z. Ma, C.A. Dalton, J.B. Russell, J.B. Gaherty, G. Hirth, D.W. Forsyth (2020). Shear Attenuation and Anelastic Mechanisms in the Central Pacific Upper Mantle. Earth & Planetary Science Letters.

PDF DOI

J.B. Russell, Z. Eilon, S.G. Mosher (2019). OBSrange: A New Tool for the Precise Remote Location of Ocean-Bottom Seismometers. Seismological Research Letters.

PDF Code Dataset DOI

J.B. Russell, J.B. Gaherty, P.Y. Lin, D. Lizarralde, J.A. Collins, G. Hirth, R.L. Evans (2019). High-Resolution Constraints on Pacific Upper Mantle Petrofabric Inferred From Surface-Wave Anisotropy. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

PDF Code Dataset DOI

Selected Talks & Posters

More Talks

Seismic evidence for alternative (D-type) olivine fabric in fast-spreading lithosphere

Combining P and S constraints in the shallow lithosphere, we provide a first in-situ constraint on olivine fabric type in the oceanic …

Jan 12, 2020 1:00 PM International Conference on Ophiolites and the Oceanic Lithosphere 2020

Joshua B. Russell, Hannah F. Mark, James B. Gaherty, Pei-Ying (Patty) Lin, Daniel Lizarralde, John A. Collins, Greg Hirth, Rob L. Evans

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Surface-wave constraints on upper mantle petrofabric and flow beneath ~40 Ma seafloor in the south Pacific

Seismic anisotropy beneath the YoungORCA ocean-bottom array reveals small-scale asthenospheric flow patterns due to the Pacific …

Dec 9, 2019 1:40 PM — 6:00 PM AGU Fall Meeting 2019

Joshua B. Russell, James B. Gaherty, Zachary Eilon, Donald W. Forsyth, Göran Ekström

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Surface-wave anisotropy of the Eastern North American Margin (ENAM)

Surface-wave anisotropy at the Eastern North American Margin shows margin-parallel anisotropy in the lithosphere, suggesting shallow …

Feb 27, 2019 1:40 PM GeoPRISMS TEI 2019

Joshua B. Russell, James B. Gaherty

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Code

Reproducibility in science relies on open-source software. I have been involved in several projects providing community tools. Listed here are a few that I use on a regular basis for surface-wave measurements & imaging, ocean-bottom seismic data processing, anelastic modeling, and more.

OBSrange

Tool for accurately locating OBS on the seafloor using acoustic ranging data

Simple_X

A seismologist-friendly Matlab wrapper for the thermodynamic tool Perple_X that estimates Vp and Vs for a desired composition

MATnoise

Calculate ambient noise empirical Green’s functions and measure phase velocities

mat-LRTdisp

Measure multimode phase velocity dispersion using the Linear Radon Transform

MINEOS_synthetics

Calculate synthetic seismograms for layered Earth models using the mode summation code MINEOS. Also outputs dispersion curves, sensitivity kernels, and eigenfunctions

invSWani-GBHE

Invert anisotropic phase velocities for anisotropy depth functions G, B, H, and E

ASWMS-ani

Automated Surface-Wave Measurement System of Jin & Gaherty (2015), adapted for azimuthal anisotropy.

ATaCR

Automated Tilt and Compliance Removal to clean OBS data.

VBR

The Very Broadband Rheology calculator estimates mechanical behavior of olivine on timescales ranging from elastic to fully viscous.

GitHub Contributions

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Outreach & Other Projects

Science communication has been a key component of my PhD. My efforts have ranged in scope from in-house events at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, including Research as Art, the Seismic Sound Lab, and Open House to working with middle and high school students at the American Museum of Natural History and speaking to undergraduates at minority-serving institutions as an IRIS Recruitment Speaker.