H. Benjamin Mason, PhD, PE (CO)

ARTICLES ADVISING COURSES

SUMMARY

I study the interaction of geomaterials, fluids, and structures during natural hazards (e.g., earthquake, tsunami, storm waves) and natural hazard cascades (e.g., earthquake-induced tsunami scouring, earthquake-induced landsliding). To study the preceding topics, I use physical modeling (centrifuge, wave flume), laboratory experiments (direct shear, simple shear, triaxial), numerical experiments (OpenSees), and analytical modeling. In addition, I participate in post-disaster reconnaissance to strengthen my research ideas, including 2023 Türkiye, 2022 Taiwan, 2018 Indonesia, 2015 Nepal, 2014 Napa, California, and 2011 Japan.

I joined the University of Nevada, Reno as an associate professor in January 2025. Before, I was on the faculty of the School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University. From January 2021 to December 2024 I had an intergovernmental personnel agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey, and I worked as a research civil engineer at the Geologic Hazards Science Center in Golden, Colorado. I received my doctoral degree from the University of California, Berkeley under the supervision of Jonathan Bray.

ARTICLES

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Google Scholar | ORCID

  1. Yanites, B. J., Clark, M. K., Roering, J. J., West, A. J., Zekkos, D., Baldwin, J. W., Cerovski-Darriau, C., Gallen, S. F., Horton, D. E., Kirby, E., Leshchinsky, B. A., Mason, H. B., Moon, S., Barnhart, K. R., Booth, A., Czuba, J. A., McCoy, S., McGuire, L., Pfeiffer, A., Pierce, J. (2025), Cascading land surface hazards as a nexus in the Earth system, Science, 388(6754), 1–13. 10.1126/science.adp9559
  2. DuRoss, C. B., Reitman, N. G., Hatem, A. E., Mason, H. B., Lavrentiadis, G., Asimaki, A., Milliner, C., Karakaş, M., Seçen, B. (2025), Are Field Observations of Surface Rupture Useful? An Example from the 2023 Mw 7.8 Pazarcık, Turkey (Türkiye), Earthquake, Seismological Research Letters, 96, 848–867. 10.1785/0220240280
  3. Bürgi, P., Thompson, E. M., Allstadt, K. E., Murray, K. D., Mason, H. B., Ahdi, S. K., Katzenstein, D. (2024), The influence of anthropogenic regulation and evaporite dissolution on earthquake-triggered ground failure, Nature Communications, 15, 2114. 10.1038/s41467-024-46335-3
  4. Mahmoodi, B., Gallant, A. P., Mason, H. B. (2024), Influence of air entrainment and gas kinetics on liquefaction triggering during tsunami loading, Géotechnique, 74(3), 206–220. 10.1680/jgeot.21.00047 | DISCUSSION | CLOSURE
  5. Carey, T. J., Naik, A., Makdisi, A. J., Mason, H. B. (2024), Liquefaction timing and post-triggering seismic energy: A comparison of crustal and subduction zone earthquakes, Geotechnical Special Publication (GSP), 349, 240–249. 10.1061/9780784485316.026
  6. Petersen, M. D., Shumway, A. M., Powers, P. M., Field, E. H., Moschetti, M. P., Jaiswal, K. S., Milner, K. R., Rezaeian, S., Frankel, A. D., Llenos, A. L., Michael, A. J., Altekruse, J. M., Ahdi, S. K., Withers, K., Mueller, C., Zeng, Y., Chase, R. E., Salditch, L. M., Luco, N., Rukstales, K. S., Herrick, J. A., Leafar Girot, D., Aagaard, B. T., Bender, A., Blanpied, M. L., Briggs, R. W., Boyd, O. S., Clayton, B., DuRoss, C., Evans, E. L., Haeussler, P. J., Hatem, A. E., Haynie, K. L., Hearn, E. H., Johnson, K. M., Kortum, Z. A., Kwong, N. S., Makdisi, A. J., Mason, H. B., McNamara, D., McPhillips, D., Okubo, P., Page, M. T., Pollitz, F., Rubinstein, J., Shaw, B. E., Shen, Z.-K., Shiro, B., Smith, J. A., Stephenson, W. J., Thompson, E. M., Thompson Jobe, J. A., Wirth, E. A., Witter, R. C. (2024), The 2023 US 50-State National Seismic Hazard Model: Overview and implications, Earthquake Spectra, 40(1), 5–88. 10.1177/87552930231215428
  7. Carey, T. J., Mason, H. B., Asimaki, D., Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, A., Garcia, F. E., Gray, B., Lavrentiadis, G., Nweke, C. C. (2023), The 2022 Chihshang, Taiwan, earthquake: Initial GEER team observations, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 149(5), 02823002. 10.1061/JGGEFK.GTENG-11522
  8. Montgomery, J., Wartman, J., Reed, A. N., Gallant, A. P., Hutabarat, D., Mason, H. B. (2021), Field reconnaissance data from GEER investigation of the 2018 Mw 7.5 Palu-Donggala earthquake, Data in Brief, 34, 106742. 10.1016/j.dib.2021.106742
  9. Mason, H. B., Montgomery, J., Gallant, A. P., Hutabarat, D., Reed, A. N., Wartman, J., Irsyam, M., Simatupang, P. T., Alatas, I. M., Prakoso, W. A., Djarwadi, D., Hanifa, R., Rahardjo, P., Faizal, L., Harnanto, D. S., Kawanda, A., Himawan, A., Yasin, W. (2021), East Palu Valley flowslides induced by the 2018 Mw 7.5 Palu-Donggala earthquake, Geomorphology, 373, 107482. 10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107482
  10. Gallant, A. P., Montgomery, J., Mason, H. B., Hutabarat, D., Reed, A. N., Wartman, J., Irsyam, M., Simatupang, P. T., Alatas, I. M., Prakoso, W. A., Djarwadi, D., Hanifa, R., Rahardjo, P., Faizal, L., Harnanto, D. S., Kawanda, A., Himawan, A., Yasin, W. (2020), The Sibalaya flowslide initiated by the 28 September 2018 Mw7.5 Palu-Donggala, Indonesia earthquake, Landslides, 17, 1925–1934. 10.1007/s10346-020-01354-1
  11. Abdollahi, A., Mason, H. B. (2020), Estimating tsunami-induced uplift pressure, Géotechnique Letters, 10(2), 270–276. 10.1680/jgele.19.00104
  12. Abdollahi, A., Mason, H. B. (2020), Pore water pressure response during tsunami loading, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 146(3), 04020004. 10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002205
  13. Qiu, Y., Mason, H. B. (2020), Numerical experiments of seabed liquefaction during ocean wave loading, Geotechnical Special Publication (GSP), 318, 732–739. 10.1061/9780784482810.076
  14. Qiu, Y., Mason, H. B. (2019), Pore water pressure response in fully saturated soil beds during earthquake–tsunami multi-hazards, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 109(5), 1785–1796. 10.1785/0120190031
  15. Exton, M., Harry, S., Kutter, B., Mason, H. B., Yeh, H. (2019), Simulating tsunami inundation and soil response in a large centrifuge, Scientific Reports, 9, 11138. 10.1038/s41598-019-47512-x
  16. Abdollahi, A., Mason, H. B. (2019), Tsunami-induced pore water pressure response of unsaturated soil beds: Numerical formulation and experiments, Computers and Geotechnics, 110, 19–27. 10.1016/j.compgeo.2019.02.012
  17. Carey, T. J., Mason, H. B., Barbosa, A. R., Scott, M. H. (2019), Multihazard earthquake and tsunami effects on soil–foundation–bridge systems, Journal of Bridge Engineering, 24(4), 04019004. 10.1061/(ASCE)BE.1943-5592.0001353
  18. Mahmoodi, B., Gallant, A. P., Mason, H. B. (2019), Stability of unsaturated sand beds in the intertidal zone during tsunami loading, Geotechnical Special Publication (GSP), 310, 814–823. 10.1061/9780784482124.082
  19. Qiu, Y., Mason, H. B., Scott, M. H. (2019), Pore water response of seabed soils during multi-hazards: Model validation, Geotechnical Special Publication (GSP), 308, 181–188. 10.1061/9780784482100.019
  20. Abdollahi, A., Mason, H. B. (2019), Coupled seepage-deformation model for predicting pore-water pressure response during tsunami loading, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 145(3), 04019002. 10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002012
  21. Slocum, R. K., Adams, R. K., Buker, K., Hurwitz, D. S., Mason, H. B., Parrish, C. E., Scott, M. H. (2018), Response spectrum devices for active learning in earthquake engineering education, HardwareX, 4, e00032. 10.1016/j.ohx.2018.e00032
  22. Leshchinsky, B. A., Mason, H. B., Olsen, M. J., Gillins, D. T. (2018), Lateral spreading within a limit equilibrium framework: Newmark sliding blocks with degrading yield accelerations, Géotechnique, 68(8), 699–712. 10.1680/jgeot.16.P.292 | DISCUSSION AND CLOSURE
  23. Kato, K., Mason, H. B., Ashford, S. A. (2018), Suitability line of grain size distribution for blast densification, Geotechnical Special Publication (GSP), 296, 263–272. 10.1061/9780784481592.027
  24. Mason, H. B., Hurwitz, D. S., Adams, R. K., Buker, K., Slocum, R. K., Scott, M. H. (2018), Increasing student understanding of response spectra: An argument for the inductive learning approach, Earthquake Spectra, 34(2), 459–469. 10.1193/040417EQS060O
  25. Asimaki, D., Mohammadi, K., Mason, H. B., Adams, R. K., Rajaure, S., Khadka, D. (2017), Observations and simulations of basin effects in the Kathmandu Valley during the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake sequence, Earthquake Spectra, 33(S1), S35–S53. 10.1193/013117eqs022m
  26. Hess, D. M., Leshchinsky, B. A., Bunn, M., Mason, H. B., Olsen, M. J. (2017), A simplified three-dimensional shallow landslide susceptibility framework considering topography and seismicity, Landslides, 14, 1677–1697. 10.1007/s10346-017-0810-2
  27. Scott, M. H., Mason, H. B. (2017), Constant-ductility response spectra for sequential earthquake and tsunami loading, Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics, 46(9), 1549–1554. 10.1002/eqe.2871
  28. Abdollahi, A., Adams, R. K., Mason, H. B. (2017), Earthquake-induced water-level rise: Implications for tsunami-induced sediment instability in coastal areas, Geotechnical Special Publication (GSP), 280, 428-438. 10.1061/9780784480472.045
  29. Kraupa, T. J., Stuedlein, A. W., Mason, H. B., Higgins, C. C. (2016), Engineered ecoroof systems: Geotechnical considerations, Journal of Infrastructure Systems, 22(3), 04016015. 10.1061/(ASCE)IS.1943-555X.0000302
  30. Mason, H. B., Yeh, H. (2016), Sediment liquefaction: A pore-water pressure gradient viewpoint, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 106(4), 1908–1913. 10.1785/0120150296
  31. Moss, R. E. S., Thompson, E. M., Kieffer, D. S., Tiwari, B., Hashash, Y. M. A., Acharya, I., Adhikari, B., Asimaki, D., Clahan, K. B., Collins, B. D., Dahal, S., Jibson, R. W., Khadka, D., Macdonald, A., Madugo, C. L. M., Mason, H. B., Pehlivan, M., Rayamajhi, D., Uprety, S. (2015), Geotechnical effects of the 2015 magnitude 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake and aftershocks, Seismological Research Letters, 86(6), 1514–1523. 10.1785/0220150158
  32. Trombetta, N. W., Mason, H. B., Hutchinson, T. C., Zupan, J. D., Bray, J. D., Kutter, B. L. (2015), Nonlinear soil–foundation–structure and structure–soil–structure interaction: Engineering demands, Journal of Structural Engineering, 141(7), 04014177. 10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0001127
  33. Stuedlein, A. W., Abdollahi, A., Mason, H. B., French, R. (2015), Shear wave velocity measurements of stone column improved ground and effect on site response, Geotechnical Special Publication (GSP), 256, 2306–2317. 10.1061/9780784479087.214
  34. Bolisetti, C., Whittaker, A. S., Mason, H. B., Almufti, I., Willford, M. (2014), Equivalent linear and nonlinear site response analysis for design and risk assessment of safety-related nuclear structures, Nuclear Engineering and Design, 275, 107–121. 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2014.04.033
  35. Trombetta, N. W., Mason, H. B., Hutchinson, T. C., Zupan, J. D., Bray, J. D., Kutter, B. L. (2014), Nonlinear soil–foundation–structure and structure–soil–structure interaction: Centrifuge test observations, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 140(5), 04013057. 10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0001074
  36. Kraupa, T. J., Mason, H. B., Stuedlein, A. W., Higgins, C. C. (2014), Characterization of ecoroofs and ecoroof materials, Geotechnical Special Publication (GSP), 234, 3571–3580. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784413272.346
  37. Yeh, H., Mason, H. B. (2014), Sediment response to tsunami loading: Mechanisms and estimates, Géotechnique, 64(2), 131–143. 10.1680/geot.13.P.033 | CORRIGENDUM
  38. Trombetta, N. W., Mason, H. B., Chen, Z., Hutchinson, T. C., Bray, J. D., Kutter, B. L. (2013), Nonlinear dynamic foundation and frame structure response observed in geotechnical centrifuge experiments, Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 50, 117–133. 10.1016/j.soildyn.2013.02.010
  39. Mason, H. B., Trombetta, N. W., Chen, Z., Bray, J. D., Hutchinson, T. C., Kutter, B. L. (2013), Seismic soil–foundation–structure interaction observed in geotechnical centrifuge experiments, Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 48, 162–174. 10.1016/j.soildyn.2013.01.014
  40. Chen, Z., Trombetta, N. W., Hutchinson, T. C., Mason, H. B., Bray, J. D., Kutter, B. L. (2013), Seismic system identification using centrifuge-based soil-structure interaction test data, Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 17(4), 469–496. 10.1080/13632469.2012.762956
  41. Cox, B. R., Boulanger, R. W., Tokimatsu, K., Wood, C. M., Abe, A., Ashford, S., Donahue, J., Ishihara, K., Kayen, R., Katsumata, K., Kishida, T., Kokusho, T., Mason, H. B., Moss, R., Stewart, J. P., Tohyama, K., Zekkos, D. (2013), Liquefaction at strong motion stations and in Urayasu City during the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake, Earthquake Spectra, 29(S1), S55–S80. 10.1193/1.4000110
  42. Puangnak, H., Choy, B., Mason, H. B., Kutter, B. L., Bray, J. (2012), Constructive and destructive footing-soil-footing interaction for vertically vibrating footings, Geotechnical Special Publication (GSP), 225, 1849–1858. 10.1061/9780784412121.190

ADVISING

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Yingqing Qiu (2020 PhD) Coastal soil and structure behavior during earthquake-tsunami multi-hazards
Margaret Exton (2019 PhD) Centrifuge modeling of soil response to tsunami-like rapid flooding and the subsequent drawdown, co-advised with Harry Yeh
Stephanie Lange (2019 PhD) Numerical response of concrete-lined tunnels crossing active faults, co-advised with Scott Ashford and Michael Scott
Abbas Abdollahi (2017 PhD) Pore water pressure response in soil during tsunami loading : Numerical formulation and experimentation
Kengo Kato (2017 PhD) Blast-induced liquefaction: Observational estimation of vibration, settlement and residual pore water pressure, co-advised with Scott Ashford

Rachel Adams (2017 MS) Near-surface response of beach sand : An experimental investigation
Kimberly Kilroy (2015 MS), Direct shear interface friction and linear motion shaking response of ecoroofs, co-advised with Christopher Higgins
Rachael Fischer (2015 MS), Tsunami-induced soil instability
Trevor Carey (2014 MS) Multi-hazard framework and analysis of soil-bridge systems: Long duration earthquake and tsunami loading, co-advised with Andre Barbosa
Travis Kraupa (2013 MS) Static and cyclic response of ecoroof soil, co-advised with Armin Stuedlein
Kyle Romney (2013 MS) Soil-bridge interaction during long-duration earthquake motions, co-advised with Andre Barbosa
William White (2013 MS), Adjacent structure response sensitivity to seismic events using the direct differentiation method

COURSES

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At University of Nevada, Reno:
UNR catalog for the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Geological Engineering
GE 479/679: Earthquake Hazards and Engineering
GE 483/683: Geological Engineering Slope Stability
GE 487: Geological Enginering Design

At Oregon State University:
CE 373: Geotechnical Engineering II
CE 572: Advanced Geotechnical Laboratory
CE 577: Shear Strength and Slope Stability/Static and Dynamic Soil Behavior (changed after 2015)
CE 578: Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering
ENGR 211H: Honors Statics
HC 408: Thesis: Compose and Complete