Harold Tobin
Professor, Department of Earth & Space Sciences, and Washington's state seismologist
Earthquakes, Volcanoes
Expertise: Earthquakes, Cascadia subduction zone, ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system, global plate tectonics
Harold Tobin is the director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and professor in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, where he holds the Paros Endowed Chair in Seismology and Geohazards. His research involves studies of tectonic plate boundaries with a focus on how major faults work. He is especially interested in subduction zones, where the planet’s largest earthquakes and tsunamis take place, and how these dynamic places develop over time.
Among other research activities and projects, he has lead the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program NanTroSEIZE project for drilling deep into and instrumenting a subduction zone in Japan. He leads a national effort on planning future research initiatives in subduction zone science known as SZ4D. Tobin is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and was awarded the Paul G. Silver Award for Outstanding Service by the American Geophysical Union.
