Margarita M. Solares-Colón

Education

  • Ph.D. in Earth Sciences, University of Oregon
    (Present)
    Emphasis in Seismology
    Advisor: Dr. Diego Melgar
  • M.Sc. in Geology, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
    (2019)
    Emphasis in Active Tectonics and GNSS Geodesy
    Advisor: Dr. Alberto López-Venegas
  • B.A. in Physical Geography & Technology Applications, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras
    (2012)

A bit more about me.

At the University of Oregon (UO), I’m part of Diego Melgar's research group, where we study large earthquakes and the hazards they can cause.

Previously, I worked as a seismic data analyst in the Puerto Rico Seismic Network during the southwestern Puerto Rico seismic sequence that began in late 2019. That experience significantly deepened my interest in earthquake science and encouraged me to pursue further education in the field.

My long-term goal is to become a research scientist dedicated to advancing our understanding of earthquake processes and contributing to safer, more resilient communities.

  • I like writting code and data visualization
  • Fascinated by nature
  • Intrigued by earthquake processes
  • Drink much coffee

Research

My research focuses on moderate to large earthquakes, using seismogeodetic techniques, a combination of seismic and geodetic data, to better understand earthquake processes. I'm particularly interested in how these integrated observations can improve our knowledge of rupture dynamics, ground motion, and hazard assessment.

Link to abstract

Scaling laws of source parameters

Most recently, we are investigating earthquake source scaling properties using the USGS-NEIC finite-fault model catalog from the past 25 years. Our ongoing work focuses on expanding the database, validating nonlinear inversion method used, and integrating regional datasets like GNSS and InSAR. By analyzing slip distributions, we aim to refine scaling laws for key source parameters such as rise time and slip rate.

Overview of the seismotectonic setting of the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands (PRVI) block with the major tectonic boundaries in northeastern Caribbean. The north (Puerto Rico Trench) and south (Muertos Trough) boundaries are transpressive margins of the PRVI block. The west (Mona Passage) and east (Anegada Passage) boundaries are extensional zones of the PRVI block. The black lines within Puerto Rico show known major inland faults (Thompson Jobe et al., 2024); Great Northern Puerto Rico fault zone, Great Southern Puerto Rico fault zone, Cerro Goden fault (CGF), (a) North Boquerón Bay fault, (b) South Lajas fault, (c) Parguera fault, (d) Punta Montalva fault, (e) San Francisco fault, (f) San Marcos fault, and (g) Salinas fault. Black circles show locations of historic events sized by magnitude. The colormap indicates the felt shaking intensity from USGS ShakeMap using the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale, from Not Felt (0) to Extreme (10). The focal mechanism and epicenter corresponding to the M4.7 earthquake on 28 December 2019, that marks the start of the seismic sequence are in gold, whereas for the M6.4 mainshock on 7 January 2020, are shown in black.

Earthquake slip models

We worked on a new finite fault model of the 2020 southwestern Puerto Rico seismic sequence mainshock, using regional seismogeodetic data. The results reveal a multi-segment rupture involving both normal and strike-slip faulting, characterized by slow rupture velocity and long rise times. Ground motion analysis supports this slow rupture evolution, showing similarities to tsunami earthquakes—findings with important implications for seismic hazard assessment in the region.

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Evaluating EEW systems

We explored the potential of GNSS-based earthquake early warning (EEW) systems for large offshore earthquakes along New Zealand’s Hikurangi subduction zone. Using synthetic rupture scenarios generated by RSQSim, we simulate ground displacements and test the performance of the G-FAST algorithm in estimating earthquake magnitude. Results show that G-FAST accurately captures moment magnitude in 90% of cases, demonstrating its promise for enhancing early warning capabilities and tsunami hazard assessment in the North Island region.

Publications

... stay tuned!

  • Solares-Colón, M. M.,Melgar, D., et al. (work submitted). Using ruptures from earthquake cycle simulators to test geodetic early warning systems performance
  • Solares-Colón, M. M., Goldberg, D. E., Melgar, D., Vanacore, E. A., Sahakian, V. J., Yeck, W. L., & López-Venegas, A. M. (2025). Slow rupture, long rise times, and multi-fault geometry: The 2020 M6.4 southwestern Puerto Rico mainshock. Geophysical Research Letters, 52, e2024GL109740.
    View Publication
  • López-Venegas, A. M., Mattioli, G. S., Solares-Colón, M., Mencin, D., & Jansma, P. E. (2023). Estimating coseismic deformation of southwestern Puerto Rico from the 7 January 2020 Mw 6.4 earthquake: Constraints from campaign and continuous GPS. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 113(1), 99–114.
    View Publication
  • Solares-Colón, M. M. (2019). New constraints on crustal deformation within the Puerto Rico-Virgin Islands microplate using two decades of GPS data. [M.Sc. Thesis] (p. 130). University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez.

Contact Me

Let's chat! Get in touch to find out more or if you have any questions..

Email: msolares@uoregon.edu