Qiushi Zhai's Homepage

Research Scientist, Seismological Laboratory, Caltech.

prof_pic.jpg

About

          My name is Qiushi [Chee-oh Shr] Zhai [Jai]. I am currently a Research Scientist (2025-present) and formerly a Postdoctoral Scholar (2022–2025) at the Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), working with Dr. Zhongwen Zhan and Dr. Allen Husker. I received my Ph.D. in Geophysics (2022) from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), where I was advised by Dr. Zhigang Peng. Prior to that, I completed both my M.S. (2017) and B.S. (2014, School of the Gifted Young) in Geophysics at the University of Science and Technology of China, under the supervision of Dr. Huajian Yao.

          As an observational seismologist, my research focuses on advancing our understanding of the physical mechanisms that govern, trigger, or inhibit seismic events—including earthquakes, moonquakes, and icequakes—and their interactions with the internal dynamics and surface processes of Earth and other planetary bodies. To address these science questions, I employ two primary research approaches: (1) applying emerging fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology for field observations and (2) developing and implementing advanced data mining techniques, such as machine learning and template matching, to extract valuable signals from large seismic datasets. I believe these novel sensing technologies and cutting-edge data mining methods are essential for gaining new insights into the physics of seismic events and unraveling their complex interactions with the internal and environmental dynamics of Earth and other planets.

Publications

Google Scholar | ORCID: 0000-0003-2583-5146

• Refereed Publications:

  1. Wei, X., Li, J., Zhai, Q., Biondi, E., Bird, E., Hjörleifsdóttir, V., Klesh, A., Kamalov, V., & Zhan, Z. The history-dependency of the 2023–2024 Sundhnúksgígar dike intrusions: A seismicity perspective with distributed acoustic sensing. (Submitted)

  2. Reid-McLaughlin, A., Zhan, Z., Karrenbach, M., Yang, Y., Biondi, E., Zhai, Q., Wiens, D. A., & Aster, R. C. Constraining Temperature and Sedimentary Conditions under the South Pole with Distributed Acoustic Sensing. (Submitted)

  3. Sheehan, J., Zhai, Q., Chuang, L., Officer, T., Wang, Y., Zhu, L., Peng, Z. Applying EQTransformer to laboratory earthquakes: detecting and picking acoustic emissions with machine learning. Earth, Planets and Space, 77(1), 116. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-025-02237-2 [PDF]

  4. Li, J., Biondi, E., Heimisson, E. R., Puel, S., Zhai, Q., Zhang, S., Hjörleifsdóttir, V., Wei, X., Bird, E., Klesh, A., Kamalov, V., Gunnarsson, T., Geirsson, H., & Zhan, Z. (2025). Minute-scale dynamics of recurrent dike intrusions in Iceland with fiber-optic geodesy. Science, 388(6752), 1189–1193. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adu0225 [PDF] Press Release: Caltech News

  5. Zhai, Q., Yin, J., Yang, Y., Atterholt, J., Li, J., Husker, A., & Zhan, Z. (2025). Comprehensive Evaluation of DAS Amplitude and Its Implications for Earthquake Early Warning and Seismic Interferometry. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 130(4), e2024JB030288. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JB030288 [PDF]

  6. Bird, E., Atterholt, J., Li, J., Biondi, E., Zhai, Q., Li, L., Yang, Y., Fang, J., Wei, X., Hjörleifsdóttir, V., Klesh, A., Kamalov, V., Gunnarsson, T., & Zhan, Z. (2025). Constraining Dike Opening Models With Seismic Velocity Changes Associated With the 2023-2024 Eruption Sequence on the Reykjanes Peninsula. AGU Advances, 6(1), e2024AV001516. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001516 [PDF]

  7. Zhai, Q., Husker, A., Zhan, Z., Biondi, E., Yin, J., Civilini, F., & Costa, L. (2024). Assessing the feasibility of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) for moonquake detection. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 635, 118695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118695 [PDF] Press Release: Caltech News

  8. Zhai, Q., Zhan, Z., & Chavarria, J. A. (2024). Thousand-Kilometer DAS Array Reveals an Uncatalogued Magnitude-5 Dynamically Triggered Event After the 2023 Turkey Earthquake. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 129(3), e2023JB027680. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JB027680 [PDF]

  9. Zhai, Q., Peng, Z., Matsubara, M., Obara, K., & Wang, Y. (2023). Spatiotemporal Variations of Intermediate-Depth Earthquakes Before and After 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Revealed by a Template Matching Catalog. Geophysical Research Letters, 50(22), e2023GL104068. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL104068 [PDF]

  10. Chen, W., Neves, M., Zhai, Q., Daniels, C., Adeboboye, O., Jaume, S., & Peng, Z. (2023). Preliminary Results from a Dense Short‐Period Seismic Deployment around the Source Zone of the 1886 M 7 South Carolina Earthquake. Seismological Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220230085 [PDF]

  11. Chuang, L. Y., Peng, Z., Lei, X., Wang, B., Liu, J., Zhai, Q., & Tu, H. (2023). Foreshocks of the 2010 Mw 6.7 Yushu, China Earthquake Occurred Near an Extensional Step-Over. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 128(1), e2022JB025176. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JB025176 [PDF]

  12. Li, C., Peng, Z., Yao, D., Meng, X., & Zhai, Q. (2023). Temporal changes of seismicity in Salton Sea Geothermal Field due to distant earthquakes and geothermal productions. Geophysical Journal International, 232(1), 287–299. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggac324 [PDF]

  13. Zhai, Q., Peng, Z., Chuang, L. Y., Wu, Y.-M., Hsu, Y.-J., & Wdowinski, S. (2021). Investigating the Impacts of a Wet Typhoon on Microseismicity: A Case Study of the 2009 Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan Based on a Template Matching Catalog. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 126(12). https://doi.org/10.1029/2021jb023026 [PDF]

  14. Zhai, Q., Yao, H., & Peng, Z. (2019). Upper mantle shear velocity structure beneath the equatorial East Pacific Rise from array-based teleseismic surface-wave dispersion analysis. Geophysical Journal International, 219(1), 607–618. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggz314 [PDF]

  15. She, Y., Yao, H., Zhai, Q., Wang, F., & Tian, X. (2018). Shallow Crustal Structure of the Middle‐Lower Yangtze River Region in Eastern China from Surface‐Wave Tomography of a Large Volume Airgun‐Shot Experiment. Seismological Research Letters, 89(3), 1003–1013. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220170232 [PDF]

  16. Zhai, Q., Yao, H., & Wang, B. (2016). Study on the deconvolution method and processing flow of air-gun source data. Earthquake Research in China, 295–304. [PDF] [PDF (in Chinese)]

  17. Hu, J., Qian, J., Guo, H., Wang, K., Zhai, Q., Zhang, H., Yao, H., Zhang, W., & An, M. (2016). Station-pair double-difference seismic tomography using Lujiang seismic network with air-gun data from the Yangtze River Active Source Experiment in Anhui province. Earthquake Research in China, 32(2), 343–355. [PDF (in Chinese)]

• Non-refereed Publications:

  1. Zhai, Q., Peng, Z., & Hsu, Y.-J. (2023). Southern California Earthquake Was Unlikely Triggered by Hurricane Hilary. Temblor. https://doi.org/10.32858/temblor.322 [PDF].

  2. Zhai, Q. (2022). Understanding microseismicity behavior and their response to earth processes by improving earthquake catalogs. Ph.D. Thesis. Georgia Institute of Technology. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/67203 [PDF].

  3. Zhai, Q. (2017). Study on the Velocity Structure and Its Change in Dali Region of Yunnan Province Based on Passive Source and Active Source Methods. M.S. Thesis. University of Science and Technology of China. [PDF (in Chinese)].

Selected Conference Presentations on Ongoing Projects

  1. Zhai, Q., Li, J., Yang, Y., & Zhan, Z. Fiber-Optic Sensing of Repeating Icequakes and Firnquake Swarms at the South Pole. SSA Annual Meeting.

  2. Zhai, Q., Peng, Z., Heidary, R., Williams, J., Howard, S., Dai, S., Zhu, L., & Wu, Y.-M. P-wave first-motion polarity determination using deep learning. AGU Fall Meeting.

Invited Presentations

  • At the Nexus of Planetary Geophysics, Geochemistry, and Geothermal Flux Session, AGU, 2025.
  • Lithospheric dynamics seminar, University of Southern California, 2025.
  • Geophysics seminar, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 2025.
  • Seismological Laboratory Brown Bag seminar, California Institute of Technology, 2025.
  • Seismological Laboratory Brown Bag seminar, California Institute of Technology, 2023.
  • Geophysics seminar, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021.

Professional Services

• Session Convener:

  • Geophysical Advances with Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensing, AGU, 2025.
  • Fiber-Optic Sensing Applications in Seismology, SSA, 2025.
  • Structure and Properties of Subducting Slabs and Deep Earthquakes, SSA, 2023.

• Journal Reviewer:

  • Nature Geoscience
  • Geophysical Research Letters
  • Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth
  • Geophysical Journal International
  • Seismological Research Letters
  • Tectonophysics
  • Earth, Planets and Space
  • IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
  • Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
  • Others

Contact

Email:
    qzhai@caltech.edu

Address:
    1200 E. California Blvd., MC 252-21
    Pasadena, CA 91125

Office:
    South Mudd Building, Room 268
    Seismological Laboratory
    California Institute of Technology