Note: If you are interested in attending this event, please RSVP here or select the "Register" button on this page. The fourth Faculty Pub Night of the 2026-27 season features Robert Welch, assistant professor of Environmental Science (Seaver College of Science and Engineering). He will discuss his recent publication, "Thrust ramps, detachments, and fault-related folding kinematics in the South-Central San Joaquin Fold-and-Thrust Belt, California." About Faculty Pub Night Students, staff, faculty, alumni, and members of the public are all invited to the 2026-27 series of Faculty Pub Night at the William H. Hannon Library. Eight LMU professors are selected annually to discuss their latest publication or project in a comfortable setting and format that welcomes diverse perspectives for an inclusive conversation aimed to educate the entire community. All Faculty Pub Nights are free and open to the public. About the Author's Work Living in California, we are constantly reminded of the threat of earthquakes. It is not uncommon for us to equate the threat of earthquakes with our most visible and famous fault, the San Andreas Fault. But what about faults that are not visible? What threat do they pose? These questions became particularly relevant in the 1980s when a series of magnitude 6 earthquakes demonstrated the activity of hidden thrust ramps (faults not exposed at the surface) in the San Joaquin Valley, California. These hidden faults are not limited to the Central Valley but are a ubiquitous feature of Earth’s crust. As such, understanding the development and extent of these faults in the Central Valley helps us better prepare communities worldwide. The issue with hidden faults is that there are limited ways to study them on the surface, which means we need to bring a diverse set of data to bear to understand their development. Our findings contribute to the growing recognition that blind active faults (faults that generate earthquakes) are connected over large distances in the subsurface, even when there are distinct changes in the geology above them. Additionally, the interconnected nature of these hidden faults in our region suggests that a much larger area could rupture in a future earthquake. This not only threatens the local communities of Coalinga, but also, because these faults underlie I-5 and the California Aqueduct, the lifeline infrastructure of California. About the Author Robert Welch is a structural geologist and applied geophysicist. His admiration for the natural world and love of the mountains have led him to study the kinematic evolution of contractional settings (mountain belts) and active tectonic regions. He has contributed to the development of remote sensing methods for acquiring structural data in remote areas, which have aided the development of 2D and 3D structural models of the Front Ranges of the Southern Canadian Rockies and the South-Central San Joaquin Fold-and-Thrust belt of California. For the San Joaquin Valley, he developed the structural model for the region using 2D seismic reflection, geologic well, geophysical, and groundwater well data. These models of the San Joaquin Fold-and-Thrust belt have refined the timing of faulting in the region and indicate increased seismic risk and activity across multiple fault segments. At LMU, his research has expanded into the Southern San Joaquin Valley and Santa Maria Basin to better understand the seismic hazard and structural evolution of the basins and how oil, gas, and groundwater production have influenced earthquake sequences in the area. Welch has taught structural geology, earth resources, the earth system, GIS, and mentored students on independent geoscience research projects. He and his students are actively exploring California to piece together its dynamic geologic past. Read more about his work on ResearchGate. About the William H. Hannon Library The William H. Hannon Library fosters excellence in academic achievement through an array of distinctive services that enable learners to feed their curiosity, experience new worlds, develop their ideas, inform their decision-making, and inspire others. More information can be found at http://library.lmu.edu For more information about this event, contact the Outreach and Engagement team at the William H. Hannon library via email at library.outreach@lmu.edu or call 310-338-5234.