Category Archives: Earthquake

New Technology for Mapping Earthquakes

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From Wired magazine, see this article titled New Technology for Mapping Earthquakes. Some excepts:

The Nepal earthquake on Saturday devastated the region and killed over 2,500 people, with more casualties mounting across four different countries. The first 24 hours of a disaster are the most important, and first-responders scramble to get as much information about the energy and geological effects of earthquakes as they can. Seismometers can help illustrate the location and magnitude of earthquakes around the world, but for more precise detail, you need to look at three-dimensional models of the ground’s physical displacement.

The easiest way to characterize that moving and shaking is with GPS and satellite data, together called geodetic data. That information is already used by earthquake researchers and geologists around the world to study the earth’s tectonic plate movements—long-term trends that establish themselves over years. But now, researchers at the University of Iowa and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have shown a faster way to use geodetic data to assess fault lines, turning over reports in as little as a day to help guide rapid responses to catastrophic quakes.

Thanks to Ian McLean for the citation.

Here is another article about the same topic. See: Satellite images reveal Mount Everest lost one inch of its height in the Nepal earthquake, but Kathmandu has been lifted by more than three feet

  • The satellite, Sentinel-1a, sends out radio waves and times how long it takes for them to reflect back
  • The data has been transformed into an ‘interferogram’ showing how the land mass has shifted
  • Scientists count the colored ‘fringes’ in the interferogram to detect how much the land has moved
  • Everest lost an inch of its height in the quake, but still stands at 29,029 feet
    An area 75 miles by 30 miles around Kathmandu has risen over three feet

Some News from Down Under re Earthquake Planning

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Blog reader John Coleman in NZ wrote:

“I am currently working on emergency plans for the health system of the West Coast of the South Island. My personal thinking was that the entire population could be cut odd from all land access for many months and it is heartening to see tht his study suggests that there may be one road which could remain open. It follows the Buller Gorge and is the really long way around. URL for more info.

In addition we have recently had a series of presentations from the researchers at GNS and several universities. * * * The full package is about 14MB, so those who want the full details of the  video presentations please contact John directly at the location noted below.

We also have video recordings of the talks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfj8MIAxec4 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbPowv4yqzU&feature=youtu.be 
In 2013, Dr Robinson developed a scenario for a South Island Civil Defence exercise based on a major earthquake on the South Island fault and we have found the casualty estimates informative.

While all of this focusses on the South Island fault, the way things are looking in Christchurch, that big fault sould rupture before we have fully recovered from out local ones. I note that the temporary container mall in Christchurch could now be around a lot longer.  We do have a fondness for temporary things.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/small-business/67962367/restart-mall-in-christchurch-may-stay-another-10-years

The shaking intensity may be similar, but the duration could be several times longer. No-one has tried to predict the effects of that yet.

For more information about John’s organization, go to this web site: http://www.cdhb.health.nz

CA Earthquakes – guaranteed!

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California nearly guaranteed to get major earthquake in next 30 years
The probability California will experience a magnitude 8 or larger earthquake in the next couple of decades has increased, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

CBS San Francisco reported the Third Uniform California Rupture Forecast, or UCERF3, sheds new light on where earthquakes will likely hit in California over the next couple of decades and how big they’re expected to be.

“The new likelihoods are due to the inclusion of possible multi-fault ruptures, where earthquakes are no longer confined to separate, individual faults, but can occasionally rupture multiple faults simultaneously,” said lead author and USGS scientist Ned Field. “This is a significant advancement in terms of representing a broader range of earthquakes throughout California’s complex fault system.”

Earthquakes in CA

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To the surprise of many, CA has not had a major earthquake for about 25 years. If you are curious about earthquake history in CA, you might want to check out this chart: Earthquake Planning in CA ( 1906- 2008);  the time line chart is available to browse here: CAEQ.

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Eric Holdeman is already offering Lessons Learned on his blog; and the ‘quake only happened 2 days ago!

Retro Report – video re earthquake readiness

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Promises of Preparedness followed Devastation Earthquake and Yet…

This posting from the NYT Retro Report on the 25th anniversary of the Loma Prieta quake generated several comments from readers.

(1) Jay Wilson of Oregon noted that it prominently features Oregon’s influence from the California experience and also has Dennis Mileti discussing social science and preparedness.

(2) From several readers affiliated with the Natural Hazards Mitigation Association, these comments:Our thanks to Janiele Maffei and Mariann Knoy from the California Earthquake Authority for supplying information on the California Residential Mitigation Program.  While the article and especially the accompanying video is absolutely splendid, they would have been ever better if they  mentioned that:

  • The California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP) conducted a pilot retrofit program called Earthquake Brace + Bolt: Funds to Strengthen Your Foundation in select neighborhoods in Oakland and Los Angles, California. The goal of the Earthquake Brace + Bolt Pilot Program is to decrease the physical and financial damage of earthquakes on soft-story single-family residential houses. A typical retrofit can cost between $2,000 to $10,000 depending upon the size of the house and the amount of work involved. The Pilot Program provides up to $3,000 to pre-qualified homeowners who make simple earthquake retrofits to help protect their largest investment and their loved ones. The pilot is currently under evaluation which will be used to inform program expansion efforts. For more information on the Earthquake Brace + Bolt Program, go on-line to: http://www.earthquakebracebolt.com.
  •  Some discussion of the Nisqually Earthquake mitigation efforts under Project Impact which significantly reduced damages following the 2011 quake in Washington State.

 

 

 

 

Biographies of Key Contributors to Earthquake Safety

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Ever wonder who the key figures are in disaster science and emergency management?  One professional organization has provided a fine example in the form of short bios of key persons.

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), provides an Oral History Series that consists of booklets on key figures in the development of earthquake science and seismic safety. Presently, 21 reports are available in this series.

One can download and read them, at no cost, but not print them off. If you want to order one, most of the reports are available at the cost of $15. Go to the EERI website noted above to order them.

Japan’s Response to Disaster – One Former FEMA Staffer’s Perspective

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It is not often that a FEMA person can be this candid about a country’s response capabilities; in fact, about the only way to do it is to be retired!  Long-time employee and long-time critic of FEMA, Leo Bosner, wrote this account recently: Can Japan Respond Better to its Next Large Disaster? [Published in japanfocus.org; no date.] In this 10 page article, he lists 10 problem areas and also offers some suggestions to the Japanese government. From his introduction:

Having worked for the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for nearly thirty years, the subject of my fellowship was Japan’s response to a large-scale disaster, and whether it could be improved. Under it, I interviewed individuals who were involved in or were familiar with the response to the March 11, 2011 earthquake/tsunami disaster in eastern Japan and lectured on local-level disaster response planning. * * * I focused on the overall response to the earthquake/ tsunami.

First and foremost, it was clear to me that the Government of Japan simply does not have a comprehensive, realistic plan for responding to large disasters. Rather, the Japan Government’s disaster response plan seems to consist of numerous government agency plans that are unrelated to each other. In many cases these plans failed to address or even acknowledge problems that were occurring in the field. In part, this is because the government lacks trained, experienced disaster response professionals. As a result, the government’s response to the March 11 disaster was poorly managed and coordinated, and many people suffered needlessly. * * *

Note that Bosner also has some harsh words for his former employer and comments on the state of FEMA at the time of Hurricane Katrina. See Bosner’s reply in the Comments section.