Posts tagged as:
News today from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) confirms details reported elsewhere that the 9.0 magnitude Tohoku earthquake caused a severe horizontal displacement. Japan’s GPS Earth Observation Network System (GEONET), which has 1,200 permanent monitoring stations, has provided a detailed view of between a 6 and 28 meter shift along two fault blocks [...]
{ 0 comments }
The National Science Foundation has awarded three large Rapid Response Research (RAPID) grants to study the earthquake in Chile, which at magnitude 8.8 was the fifth largest earthquake ever recorded. One of the grants will enable a network of 25 continuously operating GPS (CGPS) stations, and a satellite communications link for data delivery. A preliminary [...]
{ 0 comments }
GeoMapNW, a joint effort between the University of Washington and the U.S. Geological Survey, is faced with budget cuts that may force its closure by the end of the month. The site offers detailed geologic maps that are used extensively by planners, builders and homeowners, revealing soil types and helping estimate potential earthquake damage. The [...]
{ 0 comments }
Researchers from Stanford and the University of California, Riverside are working to harness the power of accelerometers to build a seismic detecting network out of ordinary computers. Accelerometers detect movement and are increasingly being used in devices such as iPhones to flip from vertical to horizontal and Wii controllers. Many of today’s laptop computers already [...]
{ 1 comment }
Ken Hudnut of the U.S. Geological Survey discussed the use of LIDAR for both the Chilean and Haiti earthquakes at the ILMF event. Using the same scale, he showed the dramatic difference in size and shake pattern between these quakes. The Chilean fault size area was 60,000 sq km vs. 600 sq km in Haiti. [...]
{ 1 comment }
It’s amazing how far the geospatial community has come in the quick and largely volunteer effort to respond to large-scale disasters. There are now dedicated sites and corps of crisis mappers that map from afar, and visit the site of the disaster to help relief agencies and governments in their response. Among the activities ongoing [...]
{ 0 comments }
The European Space Agency just released details about how the Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) instrument was able to document the movement of the earth over the L’Aquila area of central Italy during this month’s seismic events. The interferogram above shows the deformation pattern, with each fringe equivalent to surface displacement of 2.8 cm.
{ 0 comments }
I reported earlier regarding a plan to study the electrical disturbance in the atmosphere that occurs prior to an earthquake. Now there’s word that Surrey Satellite Technology Limited proposes a constellation of 20 satellites to monitor this warning signal from space. There’s a considerable problem in predicting earthquakes, with current detection systems only capable of [...]
{ 0 comments }
The U.S. Geological Survey and the California Geological Survey released a report today warning of the potential damages of a hypothetical 7.8 magnitude earthquake along the San Andreas fault. Estimates are for 1,800 deaths, injuries to 50,000 people, $200 billion in damage and long-lasting economic and social repercussions similar to what has happened in New [...]
{ 0 comments }
