Lorraine Wolf, PhD

Lorraine Wolf, PhD

  • Emerita Professor
  • Geosciences
    • wolflor@auburn.edu
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    Dr. Lorraine W. Wolf, emerita professor of geophysics in Auburn University’s Department of Geosciences, brings expertise in a broad range of geophysical methods, including crustal-scale magnetic and gravity modeling, deformation and fluid-pressure modeling, seismic-hazard analysis and electrical resistivity tomography.

    Wolf has published in numerous national and international geophysics journals and served in a lead editorial role for three National Research Council books on geophysical data policy. She also recently co-authored Oil and Gas Waste Governance, published by Routledge.

    During her 30 years in Auburn’s Department of Geosciences, Wolf also served for a decade as director of undergraduate research at Auburn University.

    Education

    • PhD, Geophysics Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks 1989

    • MA, English Literature Binghamton University 1976

    • BA, English Literature Binghamton University 1974

    Professional Experience

    Emerita Professor Department of Geosciences, College of Sciences and Mathematics, Auburn University 2022–Present

    Lawrence C. Wit Endowed Professor College of Sciences and Mathematics, Auburn University 2017–2022

    Director of Undergraduate Research Office of the Provost, Auburn University 2011–2021

    Professor Department of Geosciences, Auburn University 2004–2021

    Visiting Scholar Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle January–June 2010

    Associate Professor Department of Geology, Auburn University 1998–2004

    Visiting Associate Professor California Institute of Technology January–June 1998

    Assistant Professor Department of Geology, Auburn University 1993–1998

    Assistant Executive Director Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources, National Research Council 1992–1993

    Program Officer Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, National Research Council 1991–1992

    Postdoctoral Scholar Air Force Geophysics Laboratory, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts 1989–1991

    Lecturer Department of English, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire 1977–1979

    Visiting Instructor English and Freshman Seminar, Lander University, South Carolina

    Innovation

    Wolf specializes in geophysical methods, including crustal-scale magnetic and gravity modeling, deformation and fluid-pressure modeling, seismic-hazard analysis and electrical resistivity tomography.

    Selected Publications

    1. Bhattacharya, R., Taylor, J. P. and Wolf, L. W. (2026). Deformation and faulting in the Bellingham Basin and southern Georgia Strait, western United States and Canada. Geosphere, 22. https://doi.org/10.1130/GES02866.1
    2. Mahafza, Z., Fisk, J., Aistrup, J. and Wolf, L. (2025). Oil and Gas Waste Governance: State Politics of Induced Seismicity in Ohio and Oklahoma. Routledge, 142 pp. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003644064
    3. Güven, C., Wolf, L. W., Tuttle, M. P. and Rogers, S. (2023). The influence of sedimentary architecture on the formation of earthquake-induced liquefaction features: A case study in the New Madrid seismic zone. Engineering Geology, 312, 106946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2022.106946
    4. Tuttle, M. P., Hartleb, R., Wolf, L. and Mayne, P. W. (2019). Paleoliquefaction studies and the evaluation of seismic hazard. Geosciences, 9, 311. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9070311
    5. Tuttle, M. P., Wolf, L. W. and 10 co-authors. (2019). Evidence for large New Madrid earthquakes about A.D. 0 and B.C. 1050, central United States. Seismological Research Letters, 90, 1393–1406, plus electronic supplement. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220180371
    6. Tuttle, M. P., Wolf, L. W., Dyer-Williams, K., Mayne, P. and 13 co-authors. (2019). Paleoliquefaction Studies in Moderate Seismicity Regions with a History of Large Events. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NUREG/CR-7257, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, Washington, D.C., 454 pp.
    7. Chen, J. and Wolf, L. (2018). A notable earthquake swarm in Alabama: Natural or anthropogenic? Seismological Research Letters, 89, 1583–1594. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220170284
    8. Tuttle, M., Wolf, L., Mayne, P., Dyer-Williams, K. and Lafferty, R. (2018). Guidance Document: Conducting Paleoliquefaction Studies for Earthquake Source Characterization. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C., 177 pp.
    9. Wolf, L. W. (2018). Undergraduate research as engaged student learning. In New Directions for Teaching and Learning. Wiley Publications, San Francisco, California, pp. 75–85.
    10. Coppersmith, K., Bommer, J., Hanson, K., Unruh, J., Coppersmith, R., Wolf, L. and five co-authors. (2014). Hanford Sitewide Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, 1,057 pp., plus 16 appendices.
    11. Hardesty, K., Wolf, L. W. and Bodin, P. (2010). Noise to signal: A microtremor study at liquefaction sites in the New Madrid seismic zone. Geophysics, 75, B83–B90. https://doi.org/10.1190/1.3374357
    12. Wolf, L. W., Tuttle, M. P., Browning, S. and Park, S. (2006). Geophysical surveys of earthquake-induced liquefaction deposits in the New Madrid seismic zone. Geophysics, 71(6), B223–B270.
    13. Wolf, L. W., Lee, M.-K., Browning, S. and Tuttle, M. (2005). Numerical analysis of overpressure development in the New Madrid seismic zone. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 95, 135–144.
    14. Tuttle, M. P., Schweig, E. S., Sims, J. D., Lafferty, R. H., Wolf, L. W. and Haynes, M. L. (2002). The earthquake potential of the New Madrid seismic zone. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 92(6), 2080–2089.
    15. Tuttle, M. P., Collier, J., Wolf, L. W. and Lafferty, R. H. (1999). New evidence for a large earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone between A.D. 1400 and 1670. Geology, 27, 771–774.
    16. Gomberg, J. and Wolf, L. (1999). A possible cause for an improbable earthquake: The 1997 Mw 4.9 southern Alabama earthquake and hydrocarbon recovery. Geology, 27, 367–370.
    17. Wolf, L. W., Collier, J., Bodin, P. and Tuttle, M. (1998). Geophysical reconnaissance of earthquake-induced liquefaction features in the New Madrid seismic zone. Journal of Applied Geophysics, 39, 121–129.
    18. Lee, M.-K. and Wolf, L. W. (1998). Analysis of fluid-pressure propagation in heterogeneous rocks: Implications for hydrologically induced earthquakes. Geophysical Research Letters, 25, 2329–2332.
    19. Wolf, L. W., Rowe, C. A. and Horner, R. B. (1997). Periodic seismicity from Mount Ogden on the British Columbia-Alaska border: A case for hydrologically induced seismicity? Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 87, 1473–1483.
    20. Wolf, L. W. and Cipar, J. J. (1993). Through thick and thin: A new model for the Colorado Plateau from PACE seismic refraction data. Journal of Geophysical Research, 98, 19,881–19,894.
    21. Wolf, L. W., Stone, D. B. and Davies, J. N. (1991). Crustal structure of the active margin, south-central Alaska: An interpretation of seismic refraction data from the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect. Journal of Geophysical Research, 96, 16,455–16,470.
    22. Wolf, L. W. and Levander, A. R. (1989). Upper crustal structure of the accreted Chugach terrane, Alaska. Journal of Geophysical Research, 94, 4457–4466.
    23. Wolf, L. W. and Davies, J. N. (1986). Glacier-generated earthquakes from Prince William Sound, Alaska. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 76, 367–379.

    Oher Refereed Contributions

    1. Committee on Geophysical Data. (1993). 1992 Review of the World Data Center-A for Rockets and Satellites and the National Space Science Data Center. L. W. Wolf, study director. National Research Council, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 80 pp.
    2. Committee on Geophysical Data. (1992). 1992 Data Forum. L. W. Wolf, study director. National Research Council, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 60 pp.
    3. Committee on Geophysical Data. (1991). Solving the Global Change Puzzle: A U.S. Strategy for Managing Data and Information. L. W. Wolf, study director. National Research Council, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 52 pp.