Assistant professor
Seismic interferometry, Fault zone imaging, Marine geophysical tomography, Urban seismology
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hong Kong

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Work experience

Assistant professor, Seismology (Geophysics), University of Hong Kong, Oct 2022 ~.

Research scientist in Marine Geophysics, JAMSTEC, 2020~2022.

Postdoctoral fellow, Dept. of Geophysics, Stanford University, 2016-2020. Advisor: Professor Greg Beroza

Research

I study innovative methods to image the subsurface structure of the earth from the shallow sediments to upper mantle of the earth using ambient seismic noise or earthquakes.

I am particularly interested in promoting ambient noise differential adjoint tomography for deriving shear velocity models as well as seismic attenuation structure from wave amplitude information. I am a big fan of ML/AI techniques towards seismic signal/noise classification and denoising and beyond.

Publication:

Liu, X., Beroza, G.C. & Li, H. Ambient noise differential adjoint tomography reveals fluid-bearing rocks near active faults in Los Angeles. Nat Commun 14, 6873 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42536-4

Liu, X., Beroza, G. C., & Ben‐Zion, Y. (2022). Ambient Noise Attenuation Tomography Reveals an Asymmetric Damage Zone Across San Jacinto Fault Near Anza, California. Geophysical Research Letters, 49(15). https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL099562

Yang, L., Liu, X., Zhu, W., Zhao, L., & Beroza, G. C. (2022). Toward improved urban earthquake monitoring through deep-learning-based noise suppression. Science Advances, 8(15), eabl3564. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abl3564

Liu, X., Beroza, G. C., Yang, L., & Ellsworth, W. (2021). Ambient noise Love wave attenuation tomography for the LASSIE array across Los Angeles basin. Science Advances, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abe1030

Yang, L., Liu, X.* (* corresp. author), & Beroza, G. C.* (2021). Revisiting evidence for widespread seismicity in the upper mantle under Los Angeles. Science Advances, 7(4), eabf2862. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf2862

Liu, X. ( 2020). Finite‐frequency sensitivity kernels for seismic noise interferometry based on differential time measurements. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 125, e2019JB018932. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JB018932

Liu, X. & Beroza, G. (2019). Quantifying the effects of non-diffuse noise on ballistic and coda wave amplitude from variances of seismic noise interferometry in Southern California. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 125, e2019JB017617. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JB017617

Liu, X.,  Beroza, G. C., &  Nakata, N. ( 2019).  Isolating and Suppressing the Spurious Non‐Diffuse Contributions to Ambient Seismic Field Correlations.  Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth,  124. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JB017297

Spica, Z. J., Nakata, N., Liu, X., Campman, X., Tang, Z., & Beroza, G. C. (2018). The Ambient Seismic Field at Groningen Gas Field: An Overview from the Surface to Reservoir Depth. Seismological Research Letters.

Spica, Z. J., Perton, M., Nakata, N., Liu, X., & Beroza, G. C. (2017). Site Characterization at Groningen Gas Field Area Through Joint Surface-Borehole H/V Analysis. Geophysical Journal International. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggx426

Liu, X. and Y. Ben-Zion (2017), Analysis of non-diffuse characteristics of the seismic noise field in southern California based on correlations of neighboring frequencies, Geophys. J. Int. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggx441

Liu, X., Ben-Zion, Y., & Zigone, D. (2016). Frequency domain analysis of errors in cross-correlations of ambient seismic noise. Geophysical Journal International, 207(3), 1630–1652. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggw361

Liu, X., & Ben-Zion, Y. (2016). Estimating correlations of neighboring frequencies in ambient seismic noise. Geophysical Journal International, 206(2), 1065–1075. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggw196

Liu, X., Ben-Zion, Y., & Zigone, D. (2015). Extracting seismic attenuation coefficients from cross-correlations of ambient noise at linear triplets of stations, Geophys. J. Int., 203, 1149–1163, doi: 10.1093/gji/ggv357

Liu, X., & Ben-Zion, Y. (2013). Theoretical and Numerical Results on Effects of Attenuation on Correlation Functions of Ambient Seismic Noise.Geophysical Journal International, 194, 1966-1983, doi: 10.1093/gji/ggt215

M.S. thesis: Appraising the Reliability of Scattered Seismic Wavefield Imaging. Keywords: 3D imaging, error appraisal, Born Approximation, point scatterers.
Publication: Liu, X., & Pavlis, G. L. (2013). Appraising the reliability of converted wavefield imaging: application to USArray imaging of the 410-km discontinuity.Geophysical Journal International192(3), 1240-1254. doi 10.1093/gji/ggs088

Undergraduate Thesis: Surface Wave Tomography in Italy (click here to view this thesis in Chinese)
Publication: Li, H., Liu, X., Li, X., Sheng, J., Cai, X., & Wang, T. (2011). Rayleigh wave group velocity distribution in Ningxia. Journal of Earth Science, 22(1), 117-123. doi:10.1007/s12583-011-0162-0


Education

Ph.D. in Geophysics, University of Southern California, 2011~2016. Advisor: Prof. Yehuda Ben-Zion

M.S. in Geophysics, Indiana University, 2011. Advisor: Prof. Gary L. Pavlis

B.S. in Geophysics, China University of Geosciences Beijing, 2009. Advisor: Prof. Hongyi Li

Related course work: advanced seismology, random processes in electrical engineering, machine learning, CSCI 570 Analysis of Algorithm, CSCI 571 web technologies, plate tectonics, geophysical inverse methods, mechanics in earth sciences, parallel/scientific computing, geophysical signal analysis, exploration geophysics, C++/C programming, Matlab, continuum mechanics, partial differential equations, geology


Personal life & hobby

• All that related to computer; • e.g. making Flash animations;
• Music, popular or classic; play Erhu (Chinese two-stringed fiddle), violin, a little clarinet and piano (I'll upload some songs I played soon!); singing in a choir (Bass)
• Astronomy (amateur) and observation of constellations, stars, and deep sky objects
• Science fiction; big Harry Potter fan
• Skiing • traveling • debating


Awards

• USC Dornsife College Merit fellowship (2 yrs); 2011
• AAPG Imperial Barrel Award program 2011 Eastern Section winner (IU team);
• Tudor Fellowship & Graduate School Fellowship, 2009, IU
• Contemporary Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling (CUMCM) 2008: Beijing District, First Class Prize.
• Project leader of "Modeling and Detection of WiFi Signal Coverage in a 2D Complex and RF Antenna Design" funded by CUGB National University Student Innovation Program, 2007-2008.
• China Math Modeling Contest in Electrical Engineering 2007: First Class Prize.
• China National College Physics Contest 2006: Third Class Prize.
• Scholarship of Geophysics Major: First Class, 2006, CUGB


Contact

Email
  • liuxine AT hku.hk
Please contact me for PhD student (Fall 2023/24) and postdoc opportunities at HKU!

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