Roland Bürgmann | Research UC Berkeley

Burgmann teaching EPS116 field trip at Moss Beach

Research Expertise and Interest

active tectonics, geophysics, geology, earth and planetary science, geomechanics, tectonics, Seismology, structural geology, fault zone processes, crustal deformation, space geodesy, natural hazards, landslides

Research Description

Roland Bürgmann received his Vordiplom in Geology, Paleontology, and Mineralogy from the Universität Tübingen, Germany in Geology in 1987, his M.S. in Structural Geology from the University of Colorado in 1989, and his PhD in Geomechanics and Crustal Deformation from Stanford University in 1993. He is currently a Professor in the Earth and Planetary Science Department and heads the UC Berkeley Active Tectonics Research Group.

His current research focusses on active tectonics; relying on space geodetic, geological and seismological observations combined with mechanical models for an improved understanding of earthquake cycles, landslides and hydrological systems.

In the News

UC Berkeley Professors Named AAAS Fellows

Honorees recognized for achievements in heavy element chemistry, tectonics, microbial photosynthesis, geological processes, particle physics, and biomolecular engineering

Five Berkeley faculty members elected fellows of the AAAS

Five Berkeley faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor bestowed upon the society’s members by their peers. The five are among 443 members awarded the honor because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Founded in 1848, the AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of Science and five other journals.

Map of the bay area, portions of the south bay below foster city are at risk of flooding by 2100 because of sea level rise alone, red areas across the bay from foster city because of sea level rise and local land subsidence

Sinking land will exacerbate flooding from sea level rise in Bay Area

A new study warns that sinking land — primarily the compaction of landfill in places such as Treasure Island and Foster City — will make flooding even worse.

GPS measurements showing that the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges rise several millimeters per year.

Central Valley groundwater depletion raises Sierra and may trigger small earthquakes

Winter rains and summer groundwater pumping in California’s Central Valley make the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges sink and rise by a few millimeters each year, creating stress on the state’s earthquake faults that could increase the risk of a quake.

Tabletop fault model reveals why some quakes lead to faster shaking

The more time it takes for an earthquake fault to heal, the faster the shake it will produce when it finally ruptures, according to a new study by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley.

technical illustration showing star, circle, square, and triangle shapes interacting

Project will monitor tremor activity beneath San Andreas Fault

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has donated $1.2 million to the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory to install a small network of earthquake sensors around the San Andreas Fault at Cholame to monitor faint tremors that have been discovered in the area.

Featured in the Media

Please note: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or positions of UC Berkeley.

March 10, 2021

Sea Level Rise in Coastal Cities Higher Than Global Average Digital Journal

Digital Journal

Karen Graham

Climate-induced sea-level rise, along with natural and human-induced subsidence is causing coastal communities to experience sea-level rise four times faster than the global average. In a study published in 2018, Manoochehr Shirzaei at Arizona State University and Roland Bürgmann at the University of California, Berkeley show that major portions of San Francisco Bay's shoreline are sinking faster than the sea is rising. For more on this, see our press release at Berkeley News.

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