Seth Stein
Northwestern University
On December 26, 2004 a giant earthquake beneath the Indonesian island of Sumatra generated a massive tsunami that crossed the Indian Ocean in a few hours, wreaking destruction along seacoasts and causing at least 250,000 deaths. Initial seismological studies suggested that only part of the 1200-km long fault zone had broken, so an even larger earthquake could be forthcoming soon. However, analysis of the earth's longest period (> 20 minute) normal modes showed that the entire fault zone had ruptured. This result explained the perplexing pattern of the tsunami damage. Combining these data with the motions of the plates involved measured by combining seafloor magnetic data and high-precision GPS then implied that such earthquakes should occur about 500 years apart. Hence contrary to initial fears, rebuilding the crucial tourist facilities at their previous locations made sense.
Seth Stein is Deering Professor of Geological Sciences at Northwestern University. He was awarded the James B. Macelwane Medal of the American Geophysical Union, elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and Geological Society of America, and named to the Institute for Scientific Information Highly Cited Researchers list. He was one of the organizers of EarthScope, a national initiative to dramatically advance our knowledge of the structure and evolution of North America, served as Scientific Director of the consortium of universities using GPS for earth science, and been Visiting Senior Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. He is a coauthor of a widely used seismology textbook, edited other books and journals, started Northwestern's Environmental Science program, and authored more than 100 scientific publications including recent articles in "Science" on the New Madrid Seismic Zone. He is active in the seismological community's efforts in public education, works extensively with news media and museums, and recently completed a national lecture tour as an Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology/Seismological Society of America Distinguished Lecturer, speaking on "Giant earthquakes: why, where, when, and what we can do."
Friday, February 6 at 4:00 PM
Room L211, Technological Institute
Refreshments are served at 3:30 PM
