Advancing earthquake science worldwide
15 April 2020–Exploring planets other than the Earth was Hrvoje Tkalčić’s first love, he says. “Ever since I can remember I wanted to become an astronaut.” Tkalčić, now the head of seismology and mathematical geophysics at The Australian National University, was fascinated by the universe and adept in mathematics and … Continue Reading »
Dear SSA Community: Thank you for your patience while SSA leadership has closely monitored the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. After careful deliberation, the SSA Board of Directors has decided to not convene the 2020 Annual Meeting. The health and safety of our community is our paramount concern. Guidance from the … Continue Reading »
16 March 2020–There are two main pillars of seismology, Carl Tape says. “One is studying the structure of the earth or any medium—it could be a rock sample in the laboratory, he notes. “The other is studying source processes—an earthquake, a volcanic event, an event within a glacier, a nuclear … Continue Reading »
14 February 2020–As he pursued his master’s degree at Boise State University, Marlon Ramos was doing what he calls “traditional, active-source seismology,” interpreting seismic pictures of tsunami-producing faults near the Kodiak Island segment of the Alaska-Aleutian megathrust zone. “I had an interest in subduction zones and the very large earthquakes … Continue Reading »
18 December 2019–Alan Kafka’s career as a seismologist began with a Ph.D. studying earthquakes associated with the Caribbean plate, but “I ended up focusing on the Northeast U.S. (NEUS) for a not-very-exotic reason,” he explains. “I feel at home in the NEUS, and I didn’t want to leave.” “What I … Continue Reading »
20 November 2019–The terms may seem interchangeable to a layperson, but “hazard” and “risk” mean very different things in earthquake science. A seismic hazard is a natural phenomenon such as the level of ground shaking caused by an earthquake. Seismic risk, on the other hand, refers to the probability that … Continue Reading »