Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Anne Sheehan geophysics group

Our research seeks to understand mountain belts, subduction zones, earthquakes

Equipment near the ocean
Equipment near the ocean
- CRES

Research in our group involves the use of geophysical methods, primarily seismology, but also including geodesy and electromagnetic methods, to understand mountain belts, subduction zones, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Much of this work is driven by interests in the  nature of lithospheric deformation, deep structure of the Earth, and the causes and consequences of both natural and induced seismicity.  The group’s field based projects include broadband and short period seismometer deployments, ocean bottom seismic and seafloor pressure gauge measurements, magnetotellurics, and geodesy. A new area of focus is on tsunami studies, making use of seafloor pressure measurements that accompany ocean bottom seismic experiments.

Internships and Jobs

Check it out! Summer Internships

Undergrad & Scholarships (some links may be out of date, but you get the idea)

Opportunities at University of Colorado

Permanent Job Opportunities

Geoscience Scholarships for Undergraduates

Grad Students

Graduate Student Research Assistantships at the University of Colorado Boulder

Qualified students are encouraged to apply for graduate student research assistantships in the geophysics group of the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado. Students are expected to be self starters and able to work independently.  Students are also encouraged to apply for external fellowships such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship - there is an advantage to applying for that while you are still an undergraduate! Our admissions process is very competitive - our acceptance rate for the graduate program in Geological Sciences is around 15%, and entering graduate students typically have GPA of 3.3 or higher,  research experience, and strong reference letters. Coding experience and mathematics background through differential equations is desirable for geophysics applicants.

Admissions information is available at www.colorado.edu/geologicalsciences (click on Academic, then Prospective Graduate Students)

Completed applications are due on December 1 for international students and December 15 for domestic applicants. 

External Fellowships

Prospective students are encouraged to apply for external fellowships, here are a few (some of these links might be out of date, but you get the idea)

Note: Deadline for these programs are usually in October or November. Start preparation well ahead of time and don't miss the deadline!

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Opportunities for Postdoctoral Scholars (some links may be out of date)

NSF EAR postdoctoral program - deadline vaires

CIRES Visiting Fellow program (both for postdocs and sabbatical visitors) - usually late December

University of Colorado Boulder's Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program - deadline usually October

Geophysics group meetings - in Fall 2023 we will have a Monday reading seminar (GEOL/PHYS 6650) focused on Distributed Acoustic Sensing. Weekly group meetings will tentatively be held on Thursdays at 10 am, but this may change based upon class schedules.

Chambers, C.R., Brown, M.R.M., Stokes, S.M., Ge, S., Menezes, E.A., Tiampo, K.F. and Sheehan, A.F. (2024), Surface Deformation and Seismicity Linked to Fluid Injection in the Raton Basin. Groundwater.>https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.13393

Bogolub, K, R., J. P. Bell, E. R. Chon, R. M. Kirkham, A. F. Sheehan, Earthquake swarm near Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, investigated with temporary seismic network and machine learning seismic phase analysis, Mountain Geologist, Vol. 60, no. 3, p. 81-102.

Yarce J; Sheehan AF; Roecker S. (Mar 2023). Temporal Relationship of Slow Slip Events and Microearthquake Seismicity: Insights From Earthquake Automatic Detections in the Northern Hikurangi Margin, Aotearoa New Zealand. G3: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems: an electronic journal of the earth sciences , 24(3). 10.1029/2022gc010537

Stokes, S. M.,  Ge, S.,  Brown, M. R. M.,  Menezes, E. A.,  Sheehan, A. F., &  Tiampo, K. F. (2023). Pore Pressure Diffusion and Onset of Induced Seismicity. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth,  128, e2022JB026012. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JB026012

Clifford, T., A.  Sheehan, M. P. Moschetti (2023); Investigations of Ambient Noise Velocity Variations in a Region of Induced Seismicity near Greeley, Colorado. The Seismic Record 2023;; 3 (1): 12–20. doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0320220033

Liu C; Zhang S; Sheehan AF; Ritzwoller MH. (Nov 2022). Surface Wave Isotropic and Azimuthally Anisotropic Dispersion across Alaska and the Alaska?Aleutian Subduction Zone. Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth. 10.1029/2022jb024885

Steven M. Plescia, Anne F. Sheehan, Seth S. Haines (2022); Active‐Source Interferometry in Marine and Terrestrial Environments: Importance of Directionality and Stationary Phase. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America; doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0120210160.

Yarce, J.,  Sheehan, A.,  Roecker, S., &  Mochizuki, K. (2021).  Seismic velocity heterogeneity of the Hikurangi subduction margin, New Zealand: Elevated pore pressures in a region with repeating slow slip events. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth,  126, e2020JB021605. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB021605

Hossen, M. J.,  Mulia, I. E.,  Mencin, D., &  Sheehan, A. F. (2021).  Data assimilation for tsunami forecast with ship-borne GNSS data in the Cascadia subduction zone. Earth and Space Science,  8, e2020EA001390. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001390

Nakai, J. S.,  Sheehan, A. F.,  Abercrombie, R. E., &  Eberhart-Phillips, D. (2021).  Near trench 3D seismic attenuation offshore Northern Hikurangi subduction margin, North Island, New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth,  126, e2020JB020810. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB020810

Grace Barcheck, Geoffrey A. Abers, Aubreya N. Adams, Anne Bécel, John Collins, James B. Gaherty, Peter J. Haeussler, Zongshan Li, Ginevra Moore, Evans Onyango, Emily Roland, Daniel E. Sampson, Susan Y. Schwartz, Anne F. Sheehan, Donna J. Shillington, Patrick J. Shore, Spahr Webb, Douglas A. Wiens, Lindsay L. Worthington (2020); The Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment. Seismological Research Letters doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0220200189

Hossen, M.J., Sheehan, A.F. & Satake, K. A Multi-fault Model Estimation from Tsunami Data: An Application to the 2018 M7.9 Kodiak Earthquake. Pure Appl. Geophys. 177, 1335–1346 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-020-02433-z

Zal, H. J., K. Jacobs, M. K. Savage, J. Yarce, S. Mroczek, K. Graham, E. K. Todd, J. Nakai, Y. Iwasaki, A. Sheehan, K. Mochizuki, L. Wallace, S. Schwartz, S. Webb, S. Henrys (2020), Temporal and spatial variations in seismic anisotropy and VP/VS ratios in a region of slow slip, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 532, 2020, 115970, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115970.

Yarce, J., Sheehan, A. F., Nakai, J. S., Schwartz, S. Y., Mochizuki, K., Savage, M. K., et al ( 2019). Seismicity at the northern Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand, and investigation of the potential spatial and temporal relationships with a shallow slow slip event. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 124, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JB017211

Abers, G. A., . N. Adams, Peter J. Haeussler, Emily Roland, P. J. Shore, Douglas A. Wiens, Susan Y. Schwartz, Anne F. Sheehan, D. J. Shillington, Spahr Webb, and Lindsay L. Worthington (2019), Examining Alaska’s earthquakes on land and sea, Eos, 100, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EO117621. Published on 26 March 2019.

Warren-Smith, E., B. Fry, L. Wallace, E. Chon, S. Henrys, A. Sheehan, K. Mochizuki, S. Schwartz, S. Webb, and S. Lebedev (2019), Episodic stress and fluid pressure cycling in subducting oceanic crust during slow slip, Nature Geoscience, 12, p. 475 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0367-x

Feucht, D. W., Bedrosian, P. A., & Sheehan, A. F. ( 2019). Lithospheric signature of late Cenozoic extension in electrical resistivity structure of the Rio Grande rift, New Mexico, USA. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 124, 2331– 2351, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JB016242

Sheehan, A. F., A. R. Gusman, and K. Satake (2019), Improving forecast accuracy with tsunami data assimilation: The 2009 Dusky Sound, New Zealand, tsunami, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 124, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JB016575.

Schulte-Pelkum, V., G. Monsalve, A. F. Sheehan, P. Shearer, F. Wu, and S. Rajaure (2019), Mantle earthquakes and aseismic high-velocity lower crust in the Himalayan collision zone, Geology, 47 (9) (September 01, 2019): 815-819 June 2019, https://doi.org/10.1130/G46378.1

Wang, Y., Maeda, T., Satake, K., Heidarzadeh, M., Su, H., Sheehan, A. F., & Gusman, A. R. (2019). Tsunami Data Assimilation Without a Dense Observation Network. Geophysical Research Letters, 46. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL080930

Murray, K. D.,  Murray, M. H., &  Sheehan, A. F. ( 2019).  Active deformation near the Rio Grande Rift and Colorado Plateau as inferred from continuous Global Positioning System measurements. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth,  124,  2166– 2183. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JB016626.

Todd, E. K., Schwartz, S. Y., Mochizuki, K., Wallace, L. M., Sheehan, A. F., Webb, S. C., et al. (2018). Earthquakes and tremor linked to seamount subduction during shallow slow slip at the Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 123. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JB016136

Zietlow, D.W., A. F. Sheehan, and M. V. Bernardino (2018), Teleseismic S-wave tomography of South Island, New Zealand upper mantle. Geosphere ; 14 (3): 1343–1364. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/GES01591.1, 2018.

Feucht, D. W., A. F. Sheehan, and P. A. Bedrosian (2017), Magnetotelluric imaging of lower crustal melt and lithospheric hydration in the Rocky Mountain Front transition zone, Colorado, USA, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth, 122, doi:10.1002/2017JB014474.

Nakai J. S., Weingarten M., Sheehan A. F., Bilek S. L. & Ge S. (2017). A possible causative mechanism of Raton Basin, New Mexico and Colorado earthquakes using recent seismicity patterns and pore pressure modeling. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 122. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JB014415

Brown M. R. M., S. Ge, A. F. Sheehan, and J. S. Nakai (2017), Evaluating the Effectiveness of Induced Seismicity Mitigation: Numerical Modeling of Wastewater Injection near Greeley, Colorado, J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 122, doi:10.1002/2017JB014456.

Yeck, W.L., A.F. Sheehan, J.C. Stachnik, F.C. Lin (2017) , Offshore Rayleigh group velocity observations of the South Island, New Zealand, from ambient noise data, Geophysical Journal International, v. 209, 827-841, 2017, doi: 10.1093/gji/ggx054

Nakai, J. S., A. F. Sheehan, and S. L. Bilek (2017), Seismicity of the Rocky Mountains and Rio Grande Rift from the EarthScope Transportable Array and CREST temporary seismic networks, 2008–2010, J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 122, doi:10.1002/2016JB013389.

Gusman, A. R., I. E. Mulia, K. Satake, S. Watada, M. Heidarzadeh, and A. F. Sheehan (2016), Estimate of tsunami source using optimized unit sources and including dispersion effects during tsunami propagation: The 2012 Haida Gwaii earthquake, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 9819–9828, doi:10.1002/2016GL070140.

Yeck, W. L., A. F. Sheehan, H. M. Benz, M Weingarten, J Nakai, Rapid response, monitoring, and mitigation of induced seismicity near Greeley, Colorado, Seismological Research Letters, v. 86, no. 5, Sept/Oct 2016, doi:10.1785/0220150275

Zietlow, D. W., P. H. Molnar, and A. F. Sheehan (2016), Teleseismic P wave tomography of South Island, New Zealand upper mantle: Evidence of subduction of Pacific lithosphere since 45 Ma, J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 121, 4427–4445, doi:10.1002/2015JB012624.

O’Rourke, C. T., G. E. Baker, and A. F. Sheehan (2016), Using P/S Amplitude Ratios for Seismic Discrimination at Local Distances, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, v. 106, no. 4, doi:10.1785/0120160035.

Ball, J. S., A. F. Sheehan, J. C. Stachnik, F.-C. Lin, W. L. Yeck, and J. A. Collins (2016), Lithospheric shear velocity structure of South Island, New Zealand, from amphibious Rayleigh wave tomography, J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 121, 3686–3702, doi:10.1002/2015JB012726.

Wallace, L. M., S. C. Webb, Y. Ito, K. Mochizuki, R. Hino, S. Henrys, S. Y. Schwartz, A. F. Sheehan, Slow slip near the trench at the Hikurangi subduction zone, New Zealand, Science, 06 May 2016, Vol. 352, Issue 6286, pp. 701-704, DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf2349

Gusman, A. R. A. F. Sheehan, K. Satake, M. Heidarzadeh, I. E. Mulia, and T. Maeda (2016), Tsunami data assimilation of Cascadia seafloor pressure gauge records from the 2012 Haida Gwaii earthquake, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, doi:10.1002/2016GL068368. (highlighted in EOS research spotlight)

Harris, R.,  Laura Wallace, Spahr Webb, Yoshihiro Ito, Kimihiro Mochizuki, Hiroshi Ichihara, Stuart Henrys, Anne Tréhu, Susan Schwartz, Anne Sheehan, Demian Saffer, and Rachel Lauer (2016), Investigations of shallow slow slip offshore of New Zealand, Eos, 97, doi:10.1029/2016EO048945. Published on 28 March 2016.

O’Rourke, C. T., A. F. Sheehan, E. A. Erslev, and M. L. Anderson, Small‐Magnitude Earthquakes in North‐Central Wyoming Recorded during the Bighorn Arch Seismic Experiment Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 2015, doi:10.1785/0120150114

Worthington, L. L., K. C. Miller, E. A. Erslev, M. L. Anderson, K. R. Chamberlain, A. F. Sheehan, W. L. Yeck, S. H. Harder, and C. S. Siddoway (2015), Crustal structure of the Bighorn Mountains region: Precambrian influence on Laramide shortening and uplift in north-central Wyoming, Tectonics, 34, doi:10.1002/2015TC003840.

Sheehan, A. F., Gusman, A. R., Heidarzadeh, M., and Satake, K. (2015). Array observations of the 2012 Haida Gwaii tsunami using Cascadia Initiative absolute and differential seafloor pressure gauges, Seismol. Res. Lett. 86, no. 5, doi: 10.1785/0220150108.

Karalliyadda, S. C., M. K. Savage, A. Sheehan, J. Collins, D. Zietlow, and A. Shelley (2015), S-wave splitting in the offshore South Island, New Zealand: Insights into plate-boundary deformation, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 16, doi:10.1002/2015GC005882.

McGarr, A., B. Bekins, N. Burkardt, J. Dewey, P. Earle, W. Ellsworth, S. Ge, S. Hickman, A. Holland, E. Majer, J. Rubinstein, and A. Sheehan, Coping with earthquakes induced by fluid injection, Science 20 February 2015: 347 (6224), 830-831. [DOI:10.1126/science.aaa0494].

Ball, J. S., A. F. Sheehan, J. C. Stachnik, F.-C. Lin, and J. A. Collins (2014), A joint Monte Carlo analysis of seafloor compliance, Rayleigh wave dispersion and receiver functions atocean bottom seismic stations offshore New Zealand, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 15, 5051–5068, doi:10.1002/2014GC005412.

Yeck, W. L., A. F. Sheehan, M. Anderson, E. A. Erslev, K. C. Miller, C. S. Siddoway (2014), Structure of the Bighorn Mountain region from teleseismic receiver function analysis: Implications for the mechanics of Laramide shortening, J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 119, DOI: 10.1002/2013JB010769.

Godin, O. A., N. A. Zabotin, A. F. Sheehan, and J. A. Collins, Interferometry of infragravity waves off New Zealand, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 119, doi:10.1002/2013JC009395, 2014.

Sheehan, A. F., T. L. de la Torre, G. Monsalve, G. A. Abers, and B. R. Hacker, Physical state of Himalayan crust and uppermost mantle: Constraints from seismic attenuation and velocity tomography, J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth,119, doi:10.1002/2013JB010601, 2014.

Zietlow, D. W., A. F. Sheehan, P. H. Molnar, M. K. Savage, G. Hirth, J. A. Collins, and B. H. Hager, Upper mantle seismic anisotropy at a strike slip boundary: South Island, New Zealand, J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 119, doi:10.1002/2013JB010676. 2014.

O'Rourke, C., A. Sheehan, E. Erslev, and K. Miller, Estimating Basin Thickness using a High Density Passive Source Geophone Array, Earth & Planetary Science Letters, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.10.035, 2013.

Yeck, W., L., A. F. Sheehan, and V. Schulte-Pelkum, Sequential H-K Stacking to obtain accurate crustal thicknesses beneath sedimentary basins, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, vol. 103, no. 3, p. 2142-2150, doi:10.1785/0120120290, 2013.

Godin, O. A., N. A. Zabotin, A. F. Sheehan, Z. Yang, and J. A. Collins, Power spectra of infragravity waves in a deep ocean, Geophysical Research Letters, V. 40, no. 10, p. 2159-2165, doi:10.1002/grl.50418, 2013.

Wech, A.G., A. F. Sheehan, C. M. Boese, J. Townend, and T. A. Stern, Tectonic tremor recorded at ocean bottom seismometers, Seismological Research Letters, 84(5), September-October, doi:10.1785/0220120184, 2013.

Boese, C.M., T. A. Stern, J. Townend, S. Bourguignon, A. Sheehan, and E. G. C. Smith, E.G.C., Sub-crustal earthquakes within the Australia-Pacific plate boundary zone beneath the Southern Alps, New Zealand, Earth and Planetary Science Letters,  
376, 212-219, 2013, doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2013.06.030.

Yang, Z., A. F. Sheehan, J. A. Collins, G. Laske, The character of seafloor ambient noise recorded offshore New Zealand: Results from the MOANA ocean bottom seismic experiment, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., Vol. 13, Q1001, doi:10.1029/2012GC004201, 2012.

Supplemental Material

Stachnik, J. C., A. F. Sheehan, D. W. Zietlow, Z. Yang, J. Collins, and A. Ferris, Determination of ocean bottom seismometer orientation via Rayleigh wave polarization, Seismol. Res. Lett., 83(4), 704-713, 2012.

Berglund, H. T., A. F. Sheehan, M. H. Murray, M. Roy, A. R. Lowry, S. Nerem, and F. Blume, Distributed deformation across the Rio Grande Rift, Great Plains, and Colorado Plateau, Geology, 40, 23-36, doi:10.1130/G32418.1, 2012.

Supplemental Material

Yang, Z., A. F. Sheehan, W. L. Yeck, K. C. Miller, E. A. Erslev, L. L. Worthington, and S. H. Harder (2012), Imaging basin structure with teleseismic virtual source reflection profiles, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L02303, doi:10.1029/2011GL050035.

Supplemental Material

Collins, J., P. Molnar, and A. Sheehan, Multibeam bathymetric surveys of submarine volcanoes and mega-pockmarks on the Chatham Rise, New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 54:3, 329-339, doi: 10.1080/00288306.2011.589860, 2011.

Schulte-Pelkum, V., G. Biasi, A. Sheehan, and C. Jones, "Differential motion between upper crust and lithospheric mantle in the central Basin and Range, Nature Geoscience, v. 4, 619-623, doi:10.1038/NGEO1229, 2011.

Befus, K.M., A. F. Sheehan, M. Leopold, S. P. Anderson, and R. S. Anderson, Seismic constraints on critical zone architecture, Boulder Creek Watershed, Colorado, Vadose Zone J., 10:915-927, doi:10.2136/vzj2010.0108, 2011.

Yang, Z., A. Sheehan, and P. Shearer (2011), Stress-induced upper crustal anisotropy in southern California, J. Geophys. Res., 116, B02302, doi:10.1029/2010JB007655

Monsalve, M., P. J. McGovern, and A. Sheehan, Mantle fault zones beneath the Himalayan Collision: Flexure of the continental lithosphere, Tectonophysics, 477, 66-76,10.1016/j.tecto.2008.12.014, 2009.

Huang, G. C., F. T. Wu, S. W. Roecker, and A. F. Sheehan, Lithospheric structure of the central Himalaya from 3-D tomographic imaging, Tectonophysics, 475, 524-543, 2009.

Monsalve, G., A. Sheehan, C. Rowe, S. Rajaure, Seismic structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath the Himalayas: Evidence for eclogitizaton of lower crustal rocks in the Indian Plate, Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 113, B8, B08315, doi: 10.1029/2007JB005424, 2008.

Sheehan, A. F., T. de la Torre, G. Monsalve, V. Schulte-Pelkum, R. Bilham, F. Blume, R. Bendick, F. Wu, M. R. Pandey, S. Sapkota, and S. Rajaure, Earthquakes and crustal structure of the Himalaya from the Himalayan Nepal Tibet Seismic Experiment (HIMNT), Journal of the Nepal Geological Society, V. 28, p. 1-8, Dec. 
2008 Special Issue, Proceedings of International Workshop on Seismology, Seismotectonics, and Seismic Hazard in Nepal Himalaya, 28-29, November 2006 and 5th Nepal Geological Congress 26-27 Nov. 2007, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Monsalve, G., C. Viviano, and A. Sheehan, An assessment of Colorado seismicity from a statewide temporary seismic station network, Seismological Research Letters, v. 79, n. 5, p. 645-652, 2008.

De la Torre, T. L., G. Monsalve, A. F. Sheehan, S. Sapkota, F. Wu (2007) Earthquake processes of the Himalayan collision zone in eastern Nepal and the southern Tibetan Plateau, Geophysical Journal International 171 (2), 718–738. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2007.03537.x

Boyd, O. S., M. K. Savage, A. F. Sheehan, and C. H. Jones, Illuminating the plate interface structure beneath Cook Strait, New Zealand, with receiver functions, J. Geophys. Res., Vol. 112, B06310, doi:10.1029/2006JB004552, 2007.

Monsalve, G., A. Sheehan, V. Schulte-Pelkum, S. Rajaure, M. R. Pandey, and F. Wu, Seismicity and one-dimenstional velocity structure of the Himalayan collision zone: Earthquakes in the crust and upper mantle, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 111, B10301, doi:10.1029/2005JB004062, 2006.

Sheehan, A. F., V. Schulte-Pelkum, O. Boyd, and C. Wilson, Passive source seismology of the Rocky Mountain region, in The Rocky Mountain Region: An Evolving Lithosphere, Geophysical Monograph Series 154, 10.1029/154GM23, p.309-315, 2005.

Boyd, O. S., and A. F. Sheehan, Attenuation tomography beneath the Rocky Mountain Front: Implications for the physical state of the upper mantle, in The Rocky Mountain Region: An Evolving Lithosphere, Geophysical Monograph Series 154, 10.1029/154GM27, p. 361-377, 2005.

Fox, O. C., and A. F. Sheehan, Upper mantle anisotropy beneath Precambrian Province boundaries, Southern Rocky Mountains, in The Rocky Mountain Region: An Evolving Lithosphere, Geophysical Monograph Series 154, 10.1029/154GM26, p.347-360, 2005.

Lastowka, L. A., and A. F. Sheehan, CDROM interstation Pn study across the Rio Grande Rift, in The Rocky Mountain Region: An Evolving Lithosphere, Geophysical Monograph Series 154, 10.1029/154GM28, p. 379-384, 2005.

De la Torre, T. L., and A. F. Sheehan, Broadband seismic noise analysis of the Himalayan Nepal Tibet Seismic Experiment, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., v. 95, 1202-1208, June 2005, doi:10.1785/0120040098.

Schulte-Pelkum, V., G. Monsalve, A. Sheehan, M. R. Pandey, S. Sapkota, R. Bilham, and F. Wu, Imaging the Indian subcontinent beneath the Himalaya, v. 435, pp. 1222-1225, 30 June 2005|doi:10.1038/nature03678.     + supplemental material

Wilson, C. K., C. H. Jones, A. F. Sheehan, P. Molnar, and O. Boyd, Distributed deformation in the lower crust and upper mantle beneath a continental strike-slip fault zone: Marlborough fault system, South Island, New Zealand, Geology, 32, 837-840, 2004.

Boyd, O., C. H. Jones, A. F. Sheehan, Foundering Lithosphere Imaged Beneath the Southern Sierra Nevada, California, USA, Science, 305, 660-662, 2004.

Gilbert, H. J., and A. F. Sheehan, Images of crustal variations in the intermountain west, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 109, B03306, doi:10.1029/2003JB002730, 2004.

Blume, F., and A. F. Sheehan, Quantifying seismic hazard in the Southern Rocky Mountains through GPS measurements of crustal deformation, in Engineering Geology in Colorado:  Contributions, Trends, and Case Histories, edited by D. Boyer, P. Santi, and W. Rogers, Association of   Engineering Geologists Special Publication No. 15,  Colorado Geological Survey Special Publication 55, 2003.

Sheehan, A. F., J. D. Godchaux, and N. Hughes, Colorado Front Range Seismicity and Seismic Hazard, in Engineering Geology in Colorado: Contributions, Trends, and Case Histories, edited by D. Boyer, P. Santi, and W. Rogers, Association of Engineering Geologists Special Publication No. 15, Colorado Geological Survey Special Publication 55, 2003.

Gilbert, Hersh J.; Sheehan, Anne F.; Dueker, Kenneth G.; Molnar, Peter, Receiver functions in the western United States, with implications for upper mantle structure and dynamics, J. Geophys. Res.  Vol. 108 No. B5, 10.1029/2001JB001194, 2003.

Karlstrom, K. E., et al., Structure and evolution of the lithosphere beneath the Rocky Mountains: Initial results from the CD-ROM experiment, GSA Today, v. 12, no. 3, p. 4-10, March 2002.

Gilbert, Hersh., A. F. Sheehan, D. A. Wiens, K. G. Dueker, L. M. Dorman, J. Hildebrand, and S. Webb, Upper mantle discontinuity structure in the region of the Tonga Subduction Zone, Geophys. Res. Lett., 28, 1855-1858, 2001.

Lastowka, L. A., A. F. Sheehan, and J. M. Schneider, Seismic evidence for partial delamination model for Colorado Plateau uplift, Geophys. Res. Lett., 28, 1319-1322, 2001.

Hazler, S. E., A. Sheehan, D. McNamara, and W. Walter, One-dimensional shear velocity structure of northern Africa from Rayleigh wave group velocity dispersion, Pure Appl. Geophys., 158, 1475-1493, 2001.

Smith, K.D., J. N Brune, D. dePolo, M. K. Savage, R. Anooshehpoor, and A. F.Sheehan, The 1992 Little Skull Mountain earthquake sequence, Southern Nevada Test Site, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 91, 1595-1606, 2001.

Wannamaker, P.E., J.M. Bartley, A.F. Sheehan, C.H. Jones, A.R. Lowry, T.A. Dimitru, T.A. Ehlers, W.S. Holbrook, G.L. Farmer, M.J. Unsworth, D.B. Hall, D.S. Chapman, D.A. Okaya, B.E. John, and J.A. Wolfe, The Great Basin-Colorado Plateau transition in central Utah: An interface between active extension and stable interior, in The Geological Transition: Colorado Plateau to Basin and Range, Erskine, M.C., J.E. Faulds, J.M. Bartley, and P. Rowley (Eds.), UGA/AAPG Guideb. 30/GB78, 1-38, 2001.

Sheehan, A. F., P. M. Shearer, H. Gilbert, and K. G. Dueker, Seismic migration processing of P-SV converted phases for mantle discontinuity structure beneath the Snake River Plain, western United States, Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 105, p. 19055-19065, 2000.

Sheehan, A. F., Microearthquake study of the Colorado Front Range: Combining research and teaching in seismology, Seismol. Res. Lett., 71, 175-179, 2000.

Savage, M. K., and A. F. Sheehan, Seismic anisotropy and mantle flow from the Great Basin to the Great Plains, western United States, Journal of Geophysical Research, 105, 13715-13734, 2000.

Bhattacharyya, J., A. F. Sheehan, K. Tiampo, and J. Rundle, Using genetic algorithms to model broadband regional waveforms for crustal structure in the western United States, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 89, 202-214, 1999.

Bump, H., and, A. F. Sheehan, Crustal thickness variations across the Northern Tien Shan mountains from teleseismic receiver functions,Geophysical Research Letters, 25, 1055-1058, 1998.

Dueker, K. G., and A. F. Sheehan, Mantle discontinuity structure beneath the Colorado Rocky Mountains and High Plains, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 7153-7169, 1998.

Forsyth, D. W., D. S. Scheirer, S. C. Webb, L. M. Dorman, J. A. Orcutt, A. J. Harding, D. K. Blackman, J. Phipps Morgan, R. S. Detrick, Y. Shen, C. J. Wolfe, P. Canales, D. R. Toomey, A. F. Sheehan, S. C. Solomon, and W. S. D. Wilcock, Imaging the deep structure beneath a mid-ocean ridge: Overview of the seismological component of the MELT experiment, Science, 280, 1215-1218, 1998.

Shen, Y., A. Sheehan, K. Dueker, C. de Groot-Hedlin, and H. Gilbert, Mantle discontinuity structure beneath the southern East Pacific Rise (MELT experiment region) from P-to-S converted phases, Science, 280, 1232-1235, 1998.

Keller, G. R., C. M. Snelson, A. F. Sheehan, and K. G. Dueker, Geophysical studies of crustal structure in the Rocky Mountain region: A review, Rocky Mountain Geology, 33, 217-228, 1998.

Lerner-Lam, A., A. Sheehan, and E. Humphreys, Mantle structure at the edge of a craton: Seismological studies of the crust and upper mantle at the transition between the southern Rockies and the Great Plains, Rocky Mountain Geology, 33, 199-216, 1998.

Dueker, K. G., and A. F. Sheehan, Mantle discontinuity structure from mid-point stacks of converted P to S waves across the Yellowstone hotspot track, Journal of Geophysical Research, 102, 8313-8327, 1997.

Ozalaybey, S., M. K. Savage, A. F. Sheehan, J. N. Louie, and J. N. Brune, Shear wave velocity structure in the northern Basin and Range province from the combined analysis of receiver functions and surface waves, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 87, 183-199, 1997.

Sheehan, A. F., C. H. Jones, M. K. Savage, S. Ozalaybey, and J. M. Schneider, Contrasting lithospheric structure beneath the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin: Initial results from Colorado Plateau - Great Basin PASSCAL experiment,Geophysical Research Letters, 24, 2609-2612, 1997.

Sheehan, A. F.,  G. A. Abers,  A. L. Lerner-Lam, and C. H. Jones, Crustal thickness variations across the Colorado Rocky Mountains from teleseismic receiver functions, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 20,391-20,404, 1995.

Dr. Sheehan teaches courses in the Department of Geological Sciences and courses that are co-listed with the interdepartmental Geophysics Program. Dr. Sheehan teaches introductory physical geology to undergraduate geology majors and nonmajors, a junior/senior level geophysics course, a colisted senior/grad level field geophysics course, and seismology and geophysical inverse theory at the graduate level. 

  • Geology 1010 Intro to Geology 1
  • Geology 1170 Our Deadly Planet
  • Geology 3330 Principles of Geophysics
  • Geology 4130 Principles of Geophysics
  • Geology 4714/5714 Field Geophysics
  • Geol/Phys/Astr 6610 Earth & Planetary Physics
  • Geol/Phys 6650 Geophysics Seminar
  • Geology 6670 Geophysical Inverse Theory