About
Chuanming Liu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Missouri–Columbia, beginning in 2026. He was a JSG Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin, where he collaborated with Dr. Thorsten Becker. He earned his Ph.D. in 2023 from the University of Colorado Boulder under the supervision of Dr. Michael Ritzwoller.
He is interested in using seismic imaging and advanced inversion techniques to investigate Earth’s subsurface dynamics, particularly seismic anisotropy and its connection to tectonic processes. By utilizing global seismic datasets—such as surface and body waves extracted from ambient seismic noise and teleseismic earthquakes—and developing novel imaging tools, he has constructed 3D isotropic and anisotropic seismic models for the Alaskan continent, the Aleutian subduction zone, and the Juan de Fuca-Gorda plates. These models have provided new insights into the tectonic processes shaping these regions.
His current research focuses on advancing seismic imaging techniques and exploring the interplay between seismic anisotropy, deformation, and geodynamic processes across various geological settings, including subduction zones, large-scale strike-slip fault systems, and ice flow regions.
Publications
Google Scholar * corresponding author
Liu, X., Liu, C., & Ritzwoller M.H. (2025). The Characteristics of Rayleigh and Love Wave Azimuthal Anisotropy: Observations Across Alaska. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, DOI PDF
Liu, C.*, Becker, T.W., Wu, M., Han, S., & Ritzwoller M.H. (2024). Seismic Azimuthal Anisotropy Within the Juan de Fuca - Gorda Plates. Geophysical Research Letters, DOI PDF
Liu, C.*, Sheehan A.F., Ritzwoller M.H. (2024). Seismic Azimuthal Anisotropy Beneath the Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone. Geophysical Research Letters, DOI PDF
Liu, C.*, & Ritzwoller, M. H. (2024). Seismic anisotropy and deep crustal deformation across Alaska. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, DOI PDF
Zheng, M., Sheehan, A. F., Liu, C., Wu, M., & Ritzwoller, M. H. (2024). Characterizing Sub-Seafloor Seismic Structure of the Alaska Peninsula Along the Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, DOI PDF
Liu, C.*, Zhang, S., Sheehan, A. F., & Ritzwoller, M. H. (2022). Surface Wave Isotropic and Azimuthally Anisotropic Dispersion Across Alaska and the Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, DOI PDF
Bem, T. S., Liu, C., Yao, H., Luo, S., Yang, Y., & Liu, B. (2022). Azimuthally Anisotropic Structure in the Crust and Uppermost Mantle in Central East China and Its Significance to Regional Deformation Around the Tan-Lu Fault Zone. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, DOI PDF
Zhang, Z., Yao, H., Wang, W., & Liu, C. (2022). 3-D Crustal Azimuthal Anisotropy Reveals Multi-Stage Deformation Processes of the Sichuan Basin and Its Adjacent Area, SW China. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, DOI PDF
Feng, L., Liu, C., & Ritzwoller, M. H. (2020). Azimuthal Anisotropy of the Crust and Uppermost Mantle Beneath Alaska. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, DOI PDF
Liu, C., Yao, H., Yang, H., Shen, W., Fang, H., Hu, S., & Qiao, L. (2019). Direct Inversion for Three-Dimensional Shear Wave Speed Azimuthal Anisotropy Based on Surface Wave Ray Tracing: Methodology and Application to Yunnan, Southwest China. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, DOI PDF
Liu, C., & Yao, H. (2017). Surface Wave Tomography with Spatially Varying Smoothing Based on Continuous Model Regionalization. Pure and Applied Geophysics, DOI PDF
🎓 Teaching
- GEOL 1050 – Planet Earth (Spring 2026, University of Missouri-Columbia)
Guest Lecturer
- GEOL 384D – Physics of Earth (Spring 2024, UT Austin)
- GEOL 371D – Tectonic Geodynamics (Spring 2025, UT Austin)
Teaching Assistant
- PHYS 1110 – General Physics I (Spring 2020, CU Boulder)
- PHYS 1120 – General Physics II (Spring 2019, CU Boulder)
- PHYS 1140 – Experimental Physics I (Fall 2017, Spring 2018, CU Boulder)
📬 Contact
Email:
chuanming.liu@missouri.edu
Address:
Department of Geological Sciences
University of Missouri–Columbia
Columbia, MO 65211