About

Molly Miller is an adjunct instructor at the USC Thornton School of Music, where she teaches Studio Guitar and Popular Music. She began playing guitar at age seven and has since become one of Los Angeles’s most sought-after musicians, recording and touring with artists such as Jason Mraz, Black Eyed Peas, and Sin Bandera. Her performances have taken place at renowned venues including the Hollywood Bowl, Royal Albert Hall, and Coachella. Miller leads her own trio, Molly Miller Trio, with Jennifer Condos and Jay Bellerose, and their music has been showcased on NPR’s Fresh Air. Their 2021 release, St. George, has been featured in major outlets such as Guitar Player, Guitar World, Fretboard Journal, and Vintage Guitar. The trio has toured opening for Jason Mraz and performed at notable events like the Monterey Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s at Lincoln Center, and SF Jazz. After earning her Doctorate in Musical Arts from USC in 2016, she served as the chair of the Guitar Department at Los Angeles College of Music before returning to USC as a Professor of Studio Guitar in 2022.

Research topics

• Seismology
• Geology
• Computer Science
• Geophysics
• Artificial Intelligence
• Physics
• Internal medicine
• Virology
• Medicine
• Acoustics

Selected publications

• A New High-Resolution Seismic Catalog for Southwestern Australia (2020–2025) and Analysis of Long-Term Clustering Behavior

  Seismological Research Letters · 2026-01-15 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract We present a new machine-learning-based catalog of southwestern Australia, a stable intraplate zone primarily comprised of the Archean aged Yilgarn craton and the continent’s most seismically active region. About 29,000 events were located between 2000 and May 2025 with 43% of these presumed to be related to anthropogenic mining based on location and temporal filtering. Most (75%) events were located following the new SWAN (2P, 2020) and WA Array networks (WG, 2022), which collectively added ∼340 stations from 2020 to 2025 and were the first to target this region in detail. We observe a very high degree of spatially correlated clustering, which contains power-law, Omori-type mainshock–aftershock behavior as well as low-volume and low-magnitude atemporal clustering we label as “drip-type” behavior. Drip-type clustering is presumed to reflect the long-tail baseline activity following the cessation of temporally correlated behavior following large earthquakes, but may also be unrelated to past activity. As such, the identification of drip-type clusters could be used to infer the location of prehistoric seismicity and future seismic risk. Three recent significant earthquake sequences were also analyzed in detail: Arthur River (2022), Gnowangerup (2023), and Wyalkatchem (2024), which is still producing significant seismicity as of publication. In each, the distribution of hypocenters is shallow (<5 km) but mostly disorganized, no clear fault plane could be resolved, and the largest event in the sequence was preceded by a significant but smaller magnitude earthquake by several weeks to months. All three sequences also show centroid moment tensor solutions consistent with the expected west–east compression regime in southwest Australia. “Drip-type” activity preceded both Gnowangerup and Wyalkatchem, but the earthquakes at Arthur River sequence were the first at that location in our catalog.

  PublisherDOI

• Earthquake catalogue for Wairakei-Tauhara geothermal field, New Zealand: September–November 2023

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-03-18

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  An earthquake catalogue in QuakeML and csv format and focal mechanism information for the Wairakei-Tauhara geothermal field, New Zealand, from September–November 2023. If using this dataset please cite the following manuscript, which is under consideration in Seismological Research Letters: Hughes, B.A., Illsley-Kemp, F., Mestel, E.R.H., Townend, J., Jiang, C., Miller, M.S. A Dense Nodal Study of Seismicity in the Wairakei–Tauhara Geothermal System, Taupō Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. Seismological Research Letters. Under Review.

  PublisherDOI

• SEED-Vault: A New Software Package for Browsing, Downloading, and Archiving Continuous and Event-Based Seismic Data via FDSN

  Seismological Research Letters · 2026-03-19

  articleOpen access

  Abstract We present SEED-Vault, a new open-source software package to facilitate the downloading and archiving of seismic data from International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks (FDSN) servers. This code is built around the ObsPy package and expands on most current software by allowing the user to choose between three common workflows in seismology, in addition to offering both a straightforward graphical user interface (GUI) and a scriptable command-line interface (CLI) for large or recurring archival tasks. The GUI runs in a web browser, offering easy cross-platform compatibility to quickly browse events, stations, and earthquake arrivals, as well as download metadata, waveform data, and network references and DOIs in BibTeX format. The code can also be run via CLI for large or automated requests, which allows both novice and advanced users to easily download large datasets and keep their local archive in sync with remote FDSN servers. Downloaded data are stored and cross-referenced by an SQLite database to ensure that requests are tailored and combined to avoid unnecessary or repeated downloads. The code (available via PyPI as “seed-vault”) is still under active development and is now on version 1.1.0, its 12th release.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Seismic anisotropy analysis across Southwestern Australia reveals ENE‐trending lithospheric architecture linked to Archean Yilgarn Craton formation

  2026-03-13

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  The southwest region of Western Australia is one of the oldest continental regions on Earth, hosting the Archean Yilgarn Craton, bounded by the Proterozoic Albany-Fraser and Pinjarra orogens. Here we calculate shear wave splitting of the PKS and SKS teleseismic phases using stations from Phases 1 and 2 of the WA Array (average station spacing 40 km), as well as other temporary and permanent networks in the study region. We find evidence for coherent seismic anisotropy, with the regional average delay time (1.24 ± 0.62 s) comparable to the global average, δt = 1 s. Although fast polarization orientations show variation, they are not aligned with current plate motion and the expected asthenospheric flow direction. In the South West Terrane, fast polarization orientations match the trend of ancient structural faults. By contrast, structural faults in the Youanmi Terrane and the Eastern Goldfields Superterrane are oriented at an angle compared to the E–W and NE–SW fast polarizations. Instead, the seismic anisotropy pattern shows a striking similarity to E–W trending Precambrian (2.42 Ga) dykes that extend uninterrupted across the Yilgarn Craton. We propose that lithospheric fabrics frozen-in at the time of craton formation (~2.76–2.65 Ga) generated a mechanical weakness which subsequently influenced the orientation and emplacement of the dykes. Further evidence for a similar, ancient (~2.73 Ga) architectural fabric comes from recent isotope geochemistry analysis of primary ENE-trends within the Yilgarn Craton. Overall, these results point toward large-scale, fossilized lithospheric fabric within the Yilgarn Craton, preserved for over two billion years, offering a unique window into the formation and early evolution of the continent.

  PublisherDOI

• Characterization of Near‐Surface Velocity Structure at Haast, New Zealand, Using Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) Measurements of Seismicity

  Geophysical Research Letters · 2026-04-04

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Distributed acoustic Sensing (DAS) data collected along a 30 km length of telecommunications fiber crossing the Alpine Fault near Haast enable analysis of interactions between fluvioglacial and seismotectonic processes. Here we use DAS recordings of 25 earthquakes to probe near‐surface structure beneath the Haast river valley. For each earthquake, delayed P‐ and S‐wave arrivals incompatible with a regional velocity model are observed at common locations. We show using a planar slab model that these delayed arrivals are proportional to the thickness of subjacent low‐velocity structures. 3D ray‐tracing reveals basin‐like low‐velocity features of approximately ∼1–4 km width and 200–650 m depth, consistent with independent seismic and gravity measurements collected along partly co‐located lines. We infer these low‐velocity structures to be sediment‐filled erosional basins that may exacerbate ground shaking in large earthquakes. The method developed here is general and highlights the potential of dense DAS measurements to provide high‐resolution subsurface characterization.

  PublisherDOI

• LAB depth constraints from the Turkana Depression, East African Rift: implications for rifting and magmatism development in lithospheric thin spots, from S-to-p receiver functions

  2026-03-14

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  The East African Rift provides a natural laboratory to study the influence of pre-existing lithospheric thin spots on the development of rifting and hotspot tectonism. Below the Ethiopian Rift and elevated Ethiopian Plateau, extensive magmatic and thermal modification due to Eocene-Oligocene flood basalt magmatism and Miocene-Recent rifting has resulted in slow lithospheric mantle velocities (< 4.1km/s; Dugda et al., 2007, JGR). In contrast, below the previously rifted, lower-lying Turkana Depression to the south, the lithospheric mantle appears relatively unmodified (4.2-4.8 km/s; Kounoudis et al., 2023, EPSL), despite being underlain by hot, mantle plume material. Important in this picture are detailed constraints on the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB).Why the Turkana Depression, and particularly the failed Anza Rift terranes, remained resistant to thermal and magmatic modification, is debated. Although the Turkana Depression was a lithospheric thin spot at the onset of plume magmatism, Cenozoic rifting is now circumnavigating, not exploiting, the Anza Rift terranes (Musila et al., 2023, G3). Lithospheric thin spots therefore don't necessarily mark weak zones that are exploited by subsequent rifting and magmatism. One hypothesis for the apparently refractory nature of the Anza lithosphere is that Mesozoic rifting removed easily fusible phases, suppressing subsequent melting and associated strain localisation (Kounoudis et al., 2025, Nature).To test this geodynamic scenario, we calculated teleseismic S-to-p receiver functions and examined lithospheric thickness variations in the Turkana Depression, where the contrast between fast, relatively unmodified lithospheric mantle and slow, partially molten, plume-infiltrated asthenosphere is expected to provide impulsive S-to-p conversions at the LAB. We observe that the least impulsive and shallowest LAB conversions are associated with Miocene-Recent rift zones, and isolated shield volcanoes. Elsewhere, sharper and deeper S-to-p conversions attest to a lithosphere that has resisted thermo-mechanical modification.

  PublisherDOI

• Building Blocks of Cratonic Lithosphere in Southwestern Australia: Early Results of WA Array

  Geophysical Research Letters · 2025-09-19

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Using data from Western Australia (WA) Array—a decadal data acquisition project by the State government of WA—we construct a seismic profile crossing major tectonic units of the region. We perform converted‐wave imaging of vertical gradients in seismic impedance and rock texture in conjunction with ambient noise tomography constraints on bulk seismic properties. With ∼40 km station spacing, we can detect lateral variations in seismic properties that correspond to major tectonic units. We outline lithospheric regions with similar seismic properties, and demonstrate the importance of interpreting seismic signatures of rock fabric. We show that major tectonic boundaries are inclined, identify an apparently cratonic fragment within the Proterozoic Albany–Fraser Orogen, refine boundaries of Neoarchean tectonic domains in the southwestern Yilgarn Craton, and document focused deformation at the crust‐mantle boundary beneath one of these domains. Our findings strengthen the notion of cratonic lithosphere as a mosaic of distinct tectonic domains.

  PublisherDOI

• Distinct Lithospheric Anisotropic Fabrics Across Southwestern Australia and the Yilgarn Craton Revealed by the New Wa Array

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Seismic Anisotropy Analysis Across Southwestern Australia Reveals ENE‐Trending Lithospheric Architecture Linked to Archean Yilgarn Craton Formation

  Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems · 2025-12-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The southwest region of Western Australia is one of the oldest continental regions on Earth, hosting the Archean Yilgarn Craton, bounded by the Proterozoic Albany‐Fraser and Pinjarra orogens. Here we calculate shear wave splitting of the PKS and SKS teleseismic phases using new broadband arrays with unprecedented station spacing across the region. We find evidence for coherent seismic anisotropy, with the regional average delay time ( s) comparable to the global average, t = 1 s. Although fast polarization orientations show variation, they are not aligned with current plate motion and the expected mantle flow direction. In the South West Terrane and Albany‐Fraser Orogen, fast polarization orientations match the trend of ancient structural faults. In contrast, structural faults in the Youanmi Terrane are oriented at an angle compared to the E–W and NE–SW fast polarizations. Instead, seismic anisotropy patterns show an intriguing similarity to E–W trending Precambrian (2.42 Ga) dykes that extend uninterrupted across the Yilgarn Craton. We propose that lithospheric fabrics frozen‐in at the time of craton formation (2.76–2.65 Ga) generated a mechanical weakness which subsequently influenced the orientation and emplacement of the dykes. Further evidence for a similar, ancient (2.73 Ga) architectural fabric comes from recent isotope geochemistry analysis of primary ENE‐trends within the Yilgarn Craton. Overall, these results point toward large‐scale, fossilized lithospheric fabric within the Yilgarn Craton, preserved for over two billion years, offering a unique window into the formation and early evolution of the continent.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Significant anisotropic fabric across South Western Australia and the Yilgarn Craton revealed by the new WA Array

  2025-03-14

  preprintOpen accessCorresponding

  The southwest region of Western Australia comprises the Archean Yilgarn Craton, which is bounded by the Proterozoic Albany-Fraser and Pinjarra orogens. This ancient region has undergone significant deformation and reworking since its formation. We calculate shear wave splitting of the PKS and SKS teleseismic phases to investigate seismic anisotropy across the region. The temporary broadband seismic arrays that we use, including the new WA Array Phase 1 data, provide unprecedented seismic station density within the Western Australian continental interior. We find evidence for significant seismic anisotropy, with the regional average delay time of 1.13 s comparable to the global average of δt = 1 s. Although fast polarisation orientations show variation, they are not aligned with current, sub-lithospheric mantle flow associated with absolute plate motions. Instead, seismic anisotropy parallels dyke orientations across the cratonic interior. Fast polarisation directions in the Youanmi Terrane are oriented approximately parallel to the E–W trending Widgiemooltha dyke suite. This correlation is likely due to pre-existing mantle fabric that both formed a locus for the subsequent emplacement of the dykes during a period of ancient Archean lithospheric extension, as well as controlling the orientation of seismic anisotropy. Further evidence for this fabric comes from new isotope geochemistry analysis of primary ENE-trending architecture within the Yilgarn Craton. In the Southwest Terrane, fast polarisation orientations match both structural faults and dykes, suggesting crust-mantle coupling. The Youanmi Terrane shows less coherence between surface and mantle deformation, with structural faults oriented at an angle compared to the E–W and NE–SW trends in the anisotropy. Our results are evidence that large-scale, fossilised lithospheric fabric within the Yilgarn Craton is the dominant mechanism for seismic anisotropy in the region.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• CAREER: Slab structure and dynamics of arcuate shaped subduction zones

  NSF · $534k · 2011–2018

• Collaborative Research: Examining the Evolution of the Colorado Plateau and Its Relation to the Surrounding Tectonic Provinces Using USArray Data

  NSF · $160k · 2009–2011

• Using Dense Seismic Arrays to Map Sharp Features in the Deep Mantle

  NSF · $187k · 2014–2019

Frequent coauthors

• T. W. Becker

  The University of Texas at Austin

  46 shared

• R. W. Porritt

  Sandia National Laboratories

  37 shared

• L. O'Driscoll

  University of Oregon

  34 shared

• Cooper W. Harris

  University of Southern California

  31 shared

• Louis Moresi

  30 shared

• A. Levander

  Rice University

  27 shared

• Sri Widiyantoro

  20 shared

• Benoît Tauzin

  Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon : Terre, Planètes et Environnement

  18 shared

Education

• PhD, Research School of Earth Sciences

  Australian National University

  2006

• M.Eng.

  Cornell University

  2000

• M.Sc., School of Engineering and Applied Science

  Columbia University

  1998