Recent Major Earthquakes Oct. 7, 2005: Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, magnitude 7.6; more than 18,000 killed Dec. 26, 2004: Indian Ocean, magnitude.

Recent Major Earthquakes

• Oct. 7, 2005: Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, magnitude 7.6; more than 18,000 killed

• Dec. 26, 2004: Indian Ocean, magnitude 9; more than 174,000 people killed, another 106,000 missing

• Dec. 26, 2003: Southeastern Iran, Bam, magnitude 6.5; more than 26,000 killed

• May 21, 2003: Northern Algeria, magnitude 6.8; nearly 2,300 killed

Map showing highest risk of earthquake activity.

Earthquake Detecting Devise in Ancient China in 132 AD

张衡 Zhang, Heng78-139 AD

The earliest Seismometer

地动仪

Modern Seismometer

• Modern seismometer

also utilize the seismic

-wave and ground

motion to detect earth

-quake• Earliest designs of Western seismometers used

the similar principles as Chinese design (the mass-frame contrast design)

• Now, the detections are done electronically

Prediction of Earthquakes

• Unfortunately, we do not have a reliable way to make short term prediction yet; One of the well known success of earthquake prediction happened in China, HaiCheng Earthquake (1975)

• One of the most disastrous earthquake in last century also happened in China, TangShan Earthquake (1976)

海城 （ 1975 ）HaiCheng Earthquake

Richter 7.32000 deaths

唐山 (1976)

TangShan Earthquake, Richter 7.8 242,400 d

eaths

Why such Huge Difference?

• HaiCheng earthquake had various forewarnings in the preceding months:

1) Change in the land elevation and in the ground water level

2) Wildspread reports of peculiar animal behaviors

3) Increasing foreshock activities• The prediction in HaiCheng was made just 1 day

in advance• No forewarnings for TangShan earthquake

Modify Vulnerability

• Prediction and Warning

Common Prediction Methods

• Animal behavior

• Seismic electrical signal measurements

• Earthquake “nucleation” phase detection

• Geochemical measurements

• Statistical analysis of seismicity

Animal Behaviour

• Research suggests that some animals, such as fish, can sense earthquake before hand

Modify the Event

• Hazard Resistant Design

LEDC Low cost aseismic design

MEDC aseismic design

Current GeoHazards International projects bring

earthquake safety and awareness to India and Central

Asia

INDIA

• GeoHazards International (GHI) is working in India with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to reduce earthquake risk in several cities there.

• Shimla is located along a ridge in the northwestern Himalayas. Its precarious location in an earthquake-prone region, combined with weak construction techniques and a rapidly growing population, put Shimla at serious risk of earthquake disaster.

• Buildings and roads in Shimla have been constructed on slopes as steep as 70-80%.

• New construction is underway . . . . . but old problems continue.

• Shimla’s population has grown from 770 in 1901 to over 700,000 in 2001.

• New construction for the ever-increasing population exhibits the same structural problems as existing weak buildings.

The Shimla community will draft an earthquake risk mitigation plan with help from GHI.

• mobile simulation room to raise citizen awareness and encourage both structural and non-structural mitigation for earthquake safety.

Community Preparedness

• Management of emergency services

GIS Can Merge Satellite and GIS Can Merge Satellite and Aırcraft/Ground Aırcraft/Ground Imagery With Other DataImagery With Other Data Aır or ground

platform imagery can show damage, but data must be placed into a format useful to emergency responders, e.g., Precisely locate damage to buildings, roads, bridges Street signs and landmarks may be destroyed Searched buildings can be logged to prevent wasted effort

Damaged buildings

Open roads

Blocked roadsSearched buildings

GPS can be used to locate and GPS can be used to locate and direct emergency response assetsdirect emergency response assets

Emergency vehicles can be tracked

Blocked roads or impassible bridges can be avoided

Fewer lost or misdirected search and rescue teams

Tracked emergency vehicles

Robo Rat

Awareness of the public

Modify the Loss

• Aid

• Insurance