Brandon Shuck
Assistant Professor Louisiana State University
Areas of Expertise
Research Focus
Solid Earth Geophysics & Tectonic Evolution
Dr. Shuck’s research focuses on solid-earth geophysics—tectonic evolution of the lithosphere at subduction zones, rifted margins, and transform boundaries, and the hazards they generate. He uses active-source multichannel seismic reflection, wide-angle ocean-bottom seismometers, and seismic-imaging workflows to map crustal structure and model stress regimes driving earthquakes, magmatism, and continental breakup.
Education
Western Colorado University
B.S.
Mathematics
2015
Western Colorado University
B.S.
Geology (Petroleum Emphasis)
2015
University of Texas at Austin
Ph.D.
Geological Sciences
2021
Accomplishments
Jackson School Research Symposium: 1st place, Early Career Students Category
2018
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics Outstanding Graduate Student Award
2018
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics Ewing-Worzel Fellowship
2018
Media Appearances
Why a huge quake off Russia sent tsunamis to Japan, Hawaii, California
Washington Post print
2025-07-30
So called “great” earthquakes — 8.0 or higher in magnitude — tend to occur about once a year, with quakes as strong as Wednesday’s only coming once a decade on average, said Brandon Shuck, an assistant professor of geology and geophysics at Louisiana State University.
Tsunami warnings caused panic. How close to disaster did we come?
USA Today print
2025-07-30
Brandon Shuck, a solid-earth geophysicist at Louisiana State University, said it's important to note that the size of the quake doesn't directly correlate to the size of a tsunami. He said factors affecting the amount of water shifted can include where the quake occurred, what other nearby faults might have been triggered or if an underwater landslide happened.
Articles
Stress transition from horizontal to vertical forces during subduction initiation
Nature Geoscience2022
Subduction zones are fundamental to plate tectonics, yet how they initiate remains enigmatic. Geodynamic models suggest that if horizontal forces dominate, the upper plate experiences compression and uplift followed by extension and subsidence, whereas vertically forced subduction involves only extension. Geologic evidence of past subduction initiation events has been interpreted in terms of these alternatives; however, it is unclear whether they are mutually exclusive or represent different stages of early subduction. Here, we present seismic images of the Puysegur plate boundary south of New Zealand that reveal space–time relations of stress during subduction initiation. Our data show evidence for a stress transition (compression followed by extension) that spread from north to south as the trench nucleated and propagated along the plate boundary.
Pre‐Subduction Architecture Controls Coherent Underplating During Subduction and Exhumation (Nevado‐Filábride Complex, Southern Spain)
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems2023
The interplay between structural and metamorphic processes operating along the deep plate interface in subduction zones remains elusive as much of the geologic record is recycled into the mantle. In some cases, metamorphosed subducted rocks are underplated and exhumed to the surface, providing critical constraints on structural processes and the rheological evolution of subduction interfaces at convergent margins. One such exhumed high‐pressure/low‐temperature subduction complex is the Cenozoic Nevado‐Filábride Complex (NFC) in Southern Spain. This study presents new data from the NFC that elucidate the syn‐metamorphic deformation, stacking, and underplating of continental slivers along the subduction interface
Subducting plate structure and megathrust morphology from deep seismic imaging linked to earthquake rupture segmentation at Cascadia
Science Advances2024
The origin of rupture segmentation along subduction zone megathrusts and linkages to the structural evolution of the subduction zone are poorly understood. Here, regional-scale seismic imaging of the Cascadia margin is used to characterize the megathrust spanning ~900 km from Vancouver Island to the California border, across the seismogenic zone to a few tens of kilometers from the coast. Discrete domains in lower plate geometry and sediment underthrusting are identified, not evident in prior regional plate models, which align with changes in lithology and structure of the upper plate and interpreted paleo-rupture patches. Strike-slip faults in the lower plate associated with oblique subduction mark boundaries between regions of distinct lower plate geometry. Their formation may be linked to changes in upper plate structure across long-lived upper plate faults.
Anomalous sediment consolidation and alteration from buried incoming plate seamounts along the Cascadia margin
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems2025
Oceanic plate seamounts are believed to play an important role in megathrust rupture at subduction zones, although consistent relationships between subducting seamounts and plate interface seismicity patterns are not found. While most studies focus on impacts linked to their topography, seamounts are also sites of heterogeneity in incoming plate sediments that may contribute to megathrust properties. Here, we characterize incoming plate sediments along the Cascadia subduction zone using new high‐resolution seismic images and compressional wave (Vp) models from the CASIE21 multi‐channel‐seismic experiment.
Heterogeneous Earth’s mantle drilled at an embryonic ocean
Nature Communications2025
Mantle processes control plate tectonics and exert an influence on biogeochemical cycles. However, the proportion of mantle sampled in-situ is minimal, as it is buried beneath igneous crust and sediments. Here we report the lithological characteristics of two mantle sections from an embryonic ocean drilled by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Contrary to the mantle drilled at Mid Ocean Ridges (MORs) and hyperextended passive margins, our findings reveal exceptionally heterogeneous and fertile mantle lithologies, ranging from fertile lherzolites to depleted harzburgites and dunites, interlayered with pyroxenites. Plagioclase- and clinopyroxene-rich layers, hydrous potassic magmatic veins, and mafic intrusions indicate substantial mantle refertilization and delayed inception of magmatic crust.
Affiliations
- American Geophysical Union
- European Geophysical Union
- Asia Oceania Geosciences Society
- Geological Society of America
- National Science Foundation GeoPRISMS
- Society of Exploration Geophysicists
- Seismological Society of America
- SZ4D – Subduction Zones in 4-Dimensions
Research Grants
Imaging tectonic deformation and hydration of the incoming Juan de Fuca oceanic plate at the Cascadia subduction zone from new multi-channel seismic data
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Undergraduate Work-Study Position
2022
Apply-To-Sail: IODP Expedition 402, Tyrrhenian Magmatism and Mantle Exhumation
International Ocean Discovery Program
2023
Media
