An Analysis of River Channel Change Over Time in New England Rivers

Analyzing river channel change can be important for the development and protection of infrastructure located within floodplains and on the riverbanks. Historical aerial images were delineated and evaluated to estimate river channel change in the Ammonoosuc River in New Hampshire and the Dog River in Vermont. Previous field assessments were connected to the change estimates to determine factors correlated to river channel change. Flood frequency was also assessed for the rivers to determine if flooding impacts river channel change, with a specific focus on flooding caused by Hurricane Irene. The river channel change resulting from Hurricane Irene was significantly higher than other periods, hinting at the episodic nature of river channel change. This methodology provides a mechanism for planners to monitor river channel change cheaply with easily obtainable data

An Analysis of River Channel Change Over Time in the Lamprey River

Flooding causes river channel change that threatens people and property. Due to climate change and urbanization, flooding events are projected to happen more frequently in the future, which will make the associated hazards worse. This project estimated the historical river channel change in the Lamprey River in southern New Hampshire. River channel change was estimated by delineating riverbank location on historical aerial photographs. The river channel change was compared to river width, curvature, and the number of 1.5-year flood events to explore the drivers of river channel change in the Lamprey River

Mapping of Microseismic Aftershock Sequences Following the 2017 Lincoln, Montana M 5.8 Earthquake

The Rocky Mountains of western Montana have long been experiencing tectonic compression and extension that has shaped much of western North America. This activity consistently produces seismic events, like the 6 July 2017 M 5.8 earthquake 11 km southeast of Lincoln, MT, which can be used to advance understanding of crust and mantle dynamics and structure. Seismic mapping is vital to understanding structure and tectonic activity in western Montana as well as in analogous locations across the world. Recently deployed seismometers from the University of Montana as well as the Montana Regional Seismic Network (MRSN) from the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG) and temporary stations from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have been collecting continuous data for several years that can be analyzed using the QuakeMigrate software. Continuous waveform data from the University of Montana Seismic Network (UMSN) has not previously been searched for earthquakes (outside of the USGS event catalog) and potentially contains hundreds or thousands of additional small seismic events not previously detected by the more sparsely distributed regional networks. An updated catalog, based on the concentrated deployment of UMSN stations around the Lincoln aftershock sequence, will allow for an updated structural analysis of west-central Montana with unprecedented precision, as well as detailed analyses of aftershock evolution and crustal stress state. Large events, like the Lincoln, Montana event in 2017, garner significant attention but are rare. Smaller events, while they may not be felt at the surface or even register in some seismometers, are much more common and therefore can provide a more thorough understanding of the Earth’s subsurface dynamics and structure, thus motivating the need for a detailed catalog. We are currently using QuakeMigrate to create an earthquake catalog using data from the 12 stations in the UMSN, stations from the MRSN, and temporary USGS stations near Lincoln to detect and locate aftershocks following the M 5.8 Lincoln, Montana mainshock. The catalog will include origin times, hypocentral locations, and magnitudes of earthquakes that have occurred since the Lincoln, Montana mainshock on 6 July 2017. This catalog aims to provide accessible seismic event data for west-central Montana beginning on 6 July 2017 until the conclusion of 2021

Microseismic Mapping of the Aftershock Sequences Following the Magnitude 5.8 Lincoln, MT Earthquake

Regional seismic stations are distributed sparsely throughout Montana. The thin dispersion of stations inhibits the evaluation of aftershock evolutions following a larger earthquake, as well as hinders the ability to record low magnitude events. To account for these limitations, a dense concentration of seismic stations from the University of Montana, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, and the USGS were specifically deployed around the area of the 2017 Lincoln, MT earthquake. With a magnitude of 5.8, this event was one of the largest earthquakes in Montana’s history. In years following the mainshock, a sequence of aftershocks have occurred along adjacent faults subparallel to the mainshock. I hypothesize that many of these events went unnoticed, because their magnitudes were too low for distant seismic stations to detect them. The absence of these events in current catalogs may lead to misinterpretations or incomplete interpretations of the fault mechanics, geometry, and behavior of active faults in west-central Montana, as well as conceal evidence of re-activated faults, or faults not mapped due to a lack of surficial evidence. To accomplish this objective, the continuous seismic data that was collected by these stations will be processed through a software called QuakeMigrate (QM). QM will siphon through the recorded events, determine which events are likely to be real earthquakes, based on a series of user specified parameters, and output the approximate epicenter, depth, magnitude, and degree of uncertainty for each event. Further analysis of this data will provide input for determining the spatial and temporal patterns of aftershocks, the type of deformation associated with each event, and provide evidence that supports or refutes the current understanding of the underlying mechanics in west-central Montana

Product Counterfeiting Legislation in the United States: A Review and Assessment of Characteristics, Remedies, and Penalties

Product counterfeiting crimes have detrimental effects on consumers, brand owners, public health, the economy, and even national security. Over time, as product counterfeiting crimes and the response to them have evolved, U.S. federal legislation has developed and state legislation has followed suit, but with considerable variation across the states. The purpose of this article is to place product counterfeiting in the context of intellectual property rights, provide a historical review of relevant federal legislation, and systematically examine the extent to which state laws differ in terms of characteristics, remedies, and penalties. Additionally, we calculate indices of civil and criminal protections that illustrate the overall strength of each state’s legislative framework. Collectively, this assessment provides a solid foundation for understanding the development of product counterfeiting legislation and serves as a basis for advancing research, policy, and practice

Microseismic Mapping of Aftershock Sequences Following the Lincoln, Montana M 5.8 2017 Earthquake

The Rocky Mountains of western Montana have long been experiencing tectonic compression and extension that has shaped much of western North America. This activity consistently produces seismic events, like the 6 July 2017 M 5.8 earthquake just south of Lincoln, MT, that help constrain structure beneath the surface of the Earth. Seismic mapping is vital to understanding structure and tectonic activity in western Montana as well as in analogous locations across the world. Recently deployed seismometers from the University of Montana alongside the existing seismic network from the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology have been collecting continuous data from seismic events that can be mapped using QuakeMigrate software. Microseismic event data from the University of Montana Seismic Network (UMSN) has not previously been cataloged for earthquakes and potentially contains hundreds or thousands of seismic events that will allow for an updated structural analysis of western Montana with unprecedented precision, as well as detailed analyses of aftershock evolution and crustal stress state. Large events, like the Lincoln, Montana event in 2017, are noticeable and garner significant attention, but are rare. Smaller events, while they may not be felt at the surface or even register in some seismometers, are much more common and therefore can provide a more thorough understanding of the Earth’s subsurface structure, thus motivating the need for a detailed catalog. We use QuakeMigrate to create an earthquake catalog using data from the 12 stations in the UMSN and stations from the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Seismic Network (MBMG) near Lincoln to detect and locate aftershocks following the M 5.8 Lincoln, Montana event. The catalog includes origin times, hypocentral locations, and magnitudes of earthquakes that have occurred since the Lincoln, Montana event in 2017