Earth-shaking research to predict devastation from earthquakes

The computational science expertise at the Science and Technology Facilities Councils (STFC) Daresbury Laboratory is playing a key role in enabling researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), to develop a tool that will make it possible to estimate the likely impact of large magnitude earthquakes at specific locations, before they happen. This video shows a simulation of an earthquake.

Led and funded by the Institute of Engineering of UNAM, the project has closely studied the propagation of seismic waves through the earths crust during a number of major earthquakes, including the Magnitude Scale (Ms) 8 earthquakes that heavily damaged Mexico City in 1985 and the Great Sichuan Earthquake in China in 2008. Using this background experience, Daresburys computational scientists have been working with UNAM on the further development and optimisation of the simulation code for use on the worlds leading computer systems. As well as looking at past events, the work is capable of studying ground motions from hypothetical earthquakes in vulnerable regions, and identifying where the ground shaking shocks would be at their greatest, should the earthquake occur.

For more information about this work see http://www.stfc.ac.uk/PMC/PRel/STFC/CSEEarthquakes.aspx

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Earthquake
• SciTech
• STFC
• Science
• Environment
• UNAM
• Daresbury
• Laboratory
• Computational
• Engineering

[happinesson]

if this is a tool to predict the site and extent of the earthquake, this will be a life saving tools for the many!

[roidroid]

perhaps if we can better identify danger zones of earthquakes, on a meter by meter scale, then we can build accordingly.

Perhaps also we can try to trigger more benign earthquakes - if an area is at high risk - perhaps with explosives that fault line can be safely nullified for a few months at least.

Much like we safely trigger avalanches to avoid an unpredictable avalanche later.

[adam3141]

@galaxy387 - I think this is a software tool that can simulate an large magnitude earthquake at a specific location and predict what the intensity of the seismic waves is likely to be.

It can't actually predict an earthquake - that is actually quite random where and when they happen - although I guess a specific area has a certain probability of an earthquake event happening.

[galaxy387]

Forgive my ignorant , how does it work??? By looking at it scientists can predict Earthquake????!!!! Wow!!!

[enigmas00]

Sooo... what am I looking at here? Some narration would have been nice.

[patienceking]

Taste the Rainbow™