Earthquake, Hazards, and Disaster News
The MCEER Information Service is a comprehensive source for information on earthquake engineering, hazards mitigation, disaster preparedness, and related topics. IS posts new content frequently, covering a wide range of news and research topics.
As an added service, IS reviews published materials, maintains a database for conferences & continuing education opportunities, a portal to noteworthy Web sites, and other topics of interest.
Current News
Engineers Shake Table for Safer Vancouver Buildings and Schools
(May 21, 2012) A moving platform, which shook a seven-foot-high rack of electronic equipment and seismic sensors during a demonstration on Friday, is a key tool to help create safer buildings and schools in British Columbia… Vancouver Courier
Deadly Northern Italy Earthquake Hits Heritage Sites
(May 21, 2012) A magnitude-6.0 earthquake in northern Italy has killed at least seven people and caused serious damage to buildings in several towns… BBC
Earthquake Forecasters Look Closer at Rock Friction
(May 15, 2012) More accurate forecasts of earthquakes may arise from a new computer model focusing on the physics of the rock in one quake-prone segment of the San Andreas fault … MSNBC
Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake Downs Walls, Cuts Power in Northern Chile
(May 15, 2012) An earthquake damaged walls, shattered windows and knocked out electricity in parts of far-northern Chile and the Peruvian city of Tacna but no injuries or major damage were reported… Washington Post
Quake Study Offers New Clues on a California Fault's Mystery
(May 11, 2012) A new modeling method has helped Caltech researchers better understand why the Parkfield segment of the San Andreas fault has been behaving oddly in recent years … Los Angeles Times
Why Was a Huge 'Rogue Earthquake' Not Destructive?
(May 11, 2012) April's magnitude 8.8 earthquake in the Pacific revealed interesting features about plate tectonics… NPR
After the Quake, Japanese Shop for Survival
(May 10, 2012) Walk into any large Japanese retailer nowadays, and you might think Japan had become a nation of survivalists… NPR
Munich RE Raises Prices, Cites Increased Risk of Quakes Near Tokyo
(May 8, 2012) The company said that it had raised prices for earthquake coverage in Japan in part due to geological studies that indicated increased riks of earthquakes in the Tokyo area… Washington Post
Fukushima Nuclear Plant's Slow Recovery Offers Lessons to the US
(May 8, 2012) Despite the Japanese Prime Minister's optimistic assessment of Fukushima, experts have new worries about the plant's recovery… The Guardian (UK)
Fears Increase of Big Earthquake near Tokyo in the Foreseeable Future
(May 8, 2012) A prominent Japanese seismologist rattled some nerves when he declared there was a 70 percent chance of a major earthquake in or around Tokyo in the next four years… Public Radio International
UBC Professor Wins Award to Evaluate Bridge Seismic Safety
(May 8, 2012) A University of British Columbia professor has been awarded $260,000 to evaluate the province's highway bridges for earthquake readiness… Vancouver Sun
Chile's Missing Beaches Return After Quake
(May 4, 2012) The magnitude 8.8, February 27, 2010 earthquake in Chile buckled the earth and destroyed some beaches when they sank, but also widened and flattened others, thus making them more hospitable to marine life… Discovery News
Precursors of the Great Tohoku Earthquake Found
(April 26, 2012) Scientists think they have discovered traces of several earlier earthquakes of similiar size to the magnitude 9 Tohoku earthquake that hit Japan in March 2011 … Nature
Landmark Retrofit
(April 26, 2012) Spurred by the scare of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the Golden Gate Bridge has undergone a $660 million seismic retrofit project over the last decade … San Jose Mercury News
Earthquake Simulator Raising Awareness of Quake Dangers in Indiana
(April 25, 2012) What's it like to experience an earthquake that registers 8.0 on the Richter scale? Indiana residents can find out first-hand from the Quake Cottage, an earthquake simulator that's being deployed by the Indiana Geological Survey… IU News Room
GPS Network is Quick Quake Sensor
(April 25, 2012) NASA is set to test a real-time network of GPS sensors that it hopes will lead to faster, more accurate earthquake analysis… BBC
Shake Table Simulates 8.8-Magnitude Earthquake: Video
(April 24, 2012) A group of researchers is subjecting a five-story mock hospital to the force of an 8.8-magnitude earthquake to see how well the best building and preparedness practices stand up to the rage of a huge quake… Popular Mechanics
O.C. Quake was Small, but it Could Make History
(April 24, 2012) A 3.9 temblor centered in the southern suburb of Laguna Niguel could be the first measured on a little-known fault discovered 13 years ago… Los Angeles Times
Designing a Bridge for Earthquake Country
(April 23, 2012) Marwan Nader, lead design engineer for the new eastern span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, discusses features that give the bridge the flexibility to withstand the 'Big One'… NPR
Satellite System Will Speed Up Tsunami Warnings
(April 23, 2012) Global Positioning System (GPS) networks could cut time needed for accurate alerts by a factor of ten… Nature
Tsunami Scare Shows Gaps as Thousands Miss Quake Warnings
(April 23, 2012) While tsunami detection systems appeared to have worked during the April 11 8.6-magnitude temblor, the quake exposed flaws in the diffusion of warnings and effectiveness of evacuation plans… Businessweek