Improving Earthquake Forecasting

UC Riverside’s James Dieterich will share research findings in free lecture on campus, March 2

By Iqbal Pittalwala on February 22, 2012

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — An increasing fraction of the world’s population lives in regions where great earthquakes occur and is exposed to high seismic risk as a result.  While preparedness is crucial to dealing with earthquakes, better forecasting of these natural disasters can save more lives.

James Dieterich, a distinguished professor of geophysics at the University of California, Riverside, will give a free public lecture on campus at noon, March 2, at the Alumni and Visitors Center, in which he will explain how earthquake forecasting capabilities can be improved.

The lecture is sponsored by the UCR Office of Gift Planning.  Reservations, which are required by Feb. 24 to attend the hour-long talk, can be made by calling (951) 827-1922 or emailing giftplanning@ucr.edu. Parking costs $6.

In the talk, titled “Forecasting Earthquakes,” Dieterich will discuss how his team is developing and using large-scale computer simulations to investigate earthquake fault systems.  These systems occur where the world’s tectonic plates meet, and control the occurrence and characteristics of the earthquakes they generate.

“One of the project goals is to improve our short- and long-term earthquake forecasting capabilities,” said Dieterich, a member of the National Academy of Sciences. “More accurate forecasting has practical advantages – earthquake insurance, for example, relies heavily on forecasts.”

A $4.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation is supporting the research by Dieterich and his colleagues at UCR, Brown University, Columbia University, the University of Southern California, San Diego State University, UC San Diego and the US Geological Survey.  Dieterich is the principal investigator of the five-year grant.

Dieterich is an internationally renowned authority in rock mechanics, seismology and volcanology. His research has led to a new understanding of the Earth’s crust. He is the recipient on numerous awards including the Bucher Medal from the American Geophysical Union; and the Distinguished Service Award from the US Department of Interior. He is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

Dieterich’s talk is the first item in a meeting of the UCR Gift Planning Advisory Board.  His talk will be followed by a presentation on international philanthropy.

Archived under: Science/Technology, Department of Earth Sciences, earthquakes, Gift Planning, James Dieterich, press release

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