OMSI Science Pub: A Global Surge of Great Earthquakes

Showings

Hollywood Theatre Mon, Jul 13, 2015 7:00 PM

Description

Monday, July 13 at 7:00pm  |  $5 suggested donation at door  |

OMSI Science Pub presents:
A Global Surge of Great Earthquakes & What We Are Learning From Them

with Thorne Lay, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California Santa Cruz

During the decade 2004-2014, 18 huge earthquakes with seismic magnitudes larger than 8.0 struck around the world, sometimes causing horrendous destruction and loss of life. The annual rate of such events was 2.5 times greater than had been experienced over the previous century of seismological observations. Deployment of global networks of very high-quality seismic, geodetic, and tsunami recording systems had preceded most of these events, allowing unprecedented signals to be recorded for these great earthquakes.
 
Geophysicists have analyzed the recorded waves and ground motions to determine details of each earthquake, advancing our understanding of these dangerous events. Most of the earthquakes have involved surprises, rapidly revising scientific ideas about the behavior of huge fault ruptures and indicating the need for improved mitigation efforts.
 
Thorne Lay is Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California Santa Cruz, where he has been located since 1990. Previously he was a faculty member at the University of Michigan, after receiving his Ph.D. in Geophysics from the California Institute of Technology in 1983. His research area is seismology, and includes studies of large earthquake ruptures, internal structure of the Earth, and application of seismology to support monitoring of nuclear testing treaties. He is author or co-author of 406 research publications including 5 books, 281 publications in refereed books and professional journals, and 120 technical reports, book reviews, news items and conference proceedings. He is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. He received the Harry Fielding Reid Medal of the Seismological Society of America and the Macelwane Medal of the American Geophysical Union.

Science Pub Portland – Hollywood Theatre is a monthly event open to all ages. No RSVP or scientific background required. Just bring your curiosity, sense of humor, and appetite for food, drinks, and knowledge!