Advancing earthquake science worldwide
20 April 2017-DENVER — The magnitude 7.8 Kaikoura earthquake that struck the South Island of New Zealand last November was the largest on-land recorded earthquake in the country’s history. In a special session at the 2017 SSA Annual Meeting, researchers gathered to describe their findings on the quake and its implications for further seismic activity in the region.
20 April 2017-DENVER — The public wants to know more about earthquake risk and how best to manage it, surveys show, but scientists and engineers must adapt their communication skills to meet these public needs, researchers reported at the 2017 SSA Annual Meeting.
19 April 2017-DENVER — Speaking at the 2017 SSA Annual Meeting, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said science is “the best tool we have for predicting our future challenges and what our best responses are.”
“Policymaking needs to be based on the facts,” said Hickenlooper, the keynote speaker for the Society’s annual Public Policy Luncheon. “It has to be based on a strong foundation of science. There are always going to be arguments, there are strong self-interests in these issues. But you have to recognize … that facts have weight.”19 April 2017-DENVER — Nine out of ten Californians are uninsured against earthquake risk, which could slow economic recovery in neighborhoods and cities around the state after a damaging quake. On-demand or use-based small insurance policies — sometimes called microinsurance — could help fill in that financial gap, according to a presentation at the 2017 SSA Annual Meeting.
19 April 2017-DENVER — In 2016, a spate of earthquakes in Oklahoma resulted in significant damage to homes and businesses. Earthquakes such as the February 2016 magnitude 5.1 Fairview quake, November 2016’s 5.0 Cushing quake, and the September 2016 5.8 Pawnee quake — the state’s largest in historic times — have made Oklahoma a laboratory for studying human-induced seismicity, according to researchers gathering at the 2017 SSA Annual meeting.
19 April 2017-DENVER — Researchers working in Wyoming have deployed a full suite of technologies, including seismic data acquisition and multi-attribute processing originally developed for shallow fault imaging, to locate the hazardous underground voids left behind by coal mining in the state. At the 2017 SSA Annual Meeting, Jamey Turner of Fugro discussed his team’s efforts to locate mining voids, which can pose a risk to buildings, roads and other infrastructure.