Fundamentals of Earthquake Prediction


Book Description

The new field of earthquake prediction is scientifically challenging. Many lives could be saved if reliable, practical, prediction methods could be developed. While plate tectonics offers basic insight, proposals for practical prediction techniques are controversial. This book contains the rigorous statistical methods and analysis which allow readers to recognize promising approaches.




Pre-Earthquake Processes


Book Description

Pre-Earthquake signals are advanced warnings of a larger seismic event. A better understanding of these processes can help to predict the characteristics of the subsequent mainshock. Pre-Earthquake Processes: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Earthquake Prediction Studies presents the latest research on earthquake forecasting and prediction based on observations and physical modeling in China, Greece, Italy, France, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, and the United States. Volume highlights include: Describes the earthquake processes and the observed physical signals that precede them Explores the relationship between pre-earthquake activity and the characteristics of subsequent seismic events Encompasses physical, atmospheric, geochemical, and historical characteristics of pre-earthquakes Illustrates thermal infrared, seismo–ionospheric, and other satellite and ground-based pre-earthquake anomalies Applies these multidisciplinary data to earthquake forecasting and prediction Written for seismologists, geophysicists, geochemists, physical scientists, students and others, Pre-Earthquake Processes: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Earthquake Prediction Studies offers an essential resource for understanding the dynamics of pre-earthquake phenomena from an international and multidisciplinary perspective.




Earthquake Prediction with Radio Techniques


Book Description

The latest achievements of earthquake prediction via radio communication systems, by the world's leading authority Prof. Hayakawa is one of the world leaders in the field of seismo-electromagnetics for EQ prediction and this area of research is still evolving Presents the fundamentals of radio communications and radio propagation, using the radio noises and propagation anomalies as a precursor of earthquakes Considers the combination of different kinds of seismogenic electromagnetic signals of both natural and artificial character Timely topic following the recent sequence of highly destructive earthquakes around the world




Basic Earthquake Engineering


Book Description

This book provides senior undergraduate students, master students and structural engineers who do not have a background in the field with core knowledge of structural earthquake engineering that will be invaluable in their professional lives. The basics of seismotectonics, including the causes, magnitude, and intensity of earthquakes, are first explained. Then the book introduces basic elements of seismic hazard analysis and presents the concept of a seismic hazard map for use in seismic design. Subsequent chapters cover key aspects of the response analysis of simple systems and building structures to earthquake ground motions, design spectrum, the adoption of seismic analysis procedures in seismic design codes, seismic design principles and seismic design of reinforced concrete structures. Helpful worked examples on seismic analysis of linear, nonlinear and base isolated buildings, earthquake-resistant design of frame and frame-shear wall systems are included, most of which can be solved using a hand calculator.




Physical Geology


Book Description

This is a discount Black and white version. Some images may be unclear, please see BCCampus website for the digital version.This book was born out of a 2014 meeting of earth science educators representing most of the universities and colleges in British Columbia, and nurtured by a widely shared frustration that many students are not thriving in courses because textbooks have become too expensive for them to buy. But the real inspiration comes from a fascination for the spectacular geology of western Canada and the many decades that the author spent exploring this region along with colleagues, students, family, and friends. My goal has been to provide an accessible and comprehensive guide to the important topics of geology, richly illustrated with examples from western Canada. Although this text is intended to complement a typical first-year course in physical geology, its contents could be applied to numerous other related courses.




Natural Time Analysis: The New View of Time


Book Description

This book deals with the theory and the applications of a new time domain, termed natural time domain, that has been forwarded by the authors almost a decade ago (P.A. Varotsos, N.V. Sarlis and E.S. Skordas, Practica of Athens Academy 76, 294-321, 2001; Physical Review E 66, 011902, 2002). In particular, it has been found that novel dynamical features hidden behind time series in complex systems can emerge upon analyzing them in this new time domain, which conforms to the desire to reduce uncertainty and extract signal information as much as possible. The analysis in natural time enables the study of the dynamical evolution of a complex system and identifies when the system enters a critical stage. Hence, natural time plays a key role in predicting impending catastrophic events in general. Relevant examples of data analysis in this new time domain have been published during the last decade in a large variety of fields, e.g., Earth Sciences, Biology and Physics. The book explains in detail a series of such examples including the identification of the sudden cardiac death risk in Cardiology, the recognition of electric signals that precede earthquakes, the determination of the time of an impending major mainshock in Seismology, and the analysis of the avalanches of the penetration of magnetic flux into thin films of type II superconductors in Condensed Matter Physics. In general, this book is concerned with the time-series analysis of signals emitted from complex systems by means of the new time domain and provides advanced students and research workers in diverse fields with a sound grounding in the fundamentals of current research work on detecting (long-range) correlations in complex time series. Furthermore, the modern techniques of Statistical Physics in time series analysis, for example Hurst analysis, the detrended fluctuation analysis, the wavelet transform etc., are presented along with their advantages when natural time domain is employed.




The Million Death Quake


Book Description

One of the world's leading seismologists looks at the dangers of megaquakes, and explains where they'll next strike, why they're becoming more lethal, and what science and engineering are doing to save lives.




Reducing earthquake losses


Book Description

Earthquakes have caused massive death and destruction, and potentially damaging earthquakes are certain to occur in the future. Although earthquakes are uncontrollable, the losses they cause can be reduced by building structures that resist earthquake damage, matching land use to risk, developing emergency response plans, and other means. Since 1977, the federal government has had a research oriented program to reduce earthquake losses the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP). This program has made significant contributions toward improving our understanding of earthquakes and strategies to reduce their impact. Implementing action based on this understanding, however, has been quite difficult. This chapter provides an introduction to earthquakes: a sum mary of the earthquake hazard across the United States, a review of the types of losses earthquakes cause, a discussion of why earthquakes are a congressional concern, and an introduction to mitigation actions taken prior to earthquakes that can reduce losses when they occur. The federal policy response to date, NEHRP is then described and reviewed. Finally, specific policy options for improving federal efforts to reduce future earthquake losses are presented.




Earthquake Science and Engineering


Book Description

Earthquakes form one of the categories of natural disasters that sometimes result in huge loss of human life as well as destruction of (infra)structures, as experienced during recent great earthquakes. This book addresses scientific and engineering aspects of earthquakes, which are generally taught and published separately. This book intends to fill the gap between these two fields associated with earthquakes and help seismologists and earthquake engineers better communicate with and understand each other. This will foster the development of new techniques for dealing with various aspects of earthquakes and earthquake-associated issues, to safeguard the security and welfare of societies worldwide. Because this work covers both scientific and engineering aspects in a unified way, it offers a complete overview of earthquakes, their mechanics, their effects on (infra)structures and secondary associated events. As such, this book is aimed at engineering professionals with an earth sciences background (geology, seismology, geophysics) or those with an engineering background (civil, architecture, mining, geological engineering) or with both, and it can also serve as a reference work for academics and (under)graduate students.




An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes, and Earth Structure


Book Description

An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes and Earth Structures is an introduction to seismology and its role in the earth sciences, and is written for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students. The fundamentals of seismic wave propagation are developed using a physical approach and then applied to show how refraction, reflection, and teleseismic techniques are used to study the structure and thus the composition and evolution of the earth. The book shows how seismic waves are used to study earthquakes and are integrated with other data to investigate the plate tectonic processes that cause earthquakes. Figures, examples, problems, and computer exercises teach students about seismology in a creative and intuitive manner. Necessary mathematical tools including vector and tensor analysis, matrix algebra, Fourier analysis, statistics of errors, signal processing, and data inversion are introduced with many relevant examples. The text also addresses the fundamentals of seismometry and applications of seismology to societal issues. Special attention is paid to help students visualize connections between different topics and view seismology as an integrated science. An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes, and Earth Structure gives an excellent overview for students of geophysics and tectonics, and provides a strong foundation for further studies in seismology. Multidisciplinary examples throughout the text - catering to students in varied disciplines (geology, mineralogy, petrology, physics, etc.). Most up to date book on the market - includes recent seismic events such as the 1999 Earthquakes in Turkey, Greece, and Taiwan). Chapter outlines - each chapter begins with an outline and a list of learning objectives to help students focus and study. Essential math review - an entire section reviews the essential math needed to understand seismology. This can be covered in class or left to students to review as needed. End of chapter problem sets - homework problems that cover the material presented in the chapter. Solutions to all odd numbered problem sets are listed in the back so that students can track their progress. Extensive References - classic references and more current references are listed at the end of each chapter. A set of instructor's resources containing downloadable versions of all the figures in the book, errata and answers to homework problems is available at: http://levee.wustl.edu/seismology/book/. Also available on this website are PowerPoint lecture slides corresponding to the first 5 chapters of the book.