Thursday, March 17
12:00-1:00 PM (Pacific) / 1:00-2:00 PM (Mountain)
The March 18, 2020 M5.7 Magna, Utah earthquake was a vivid reminder of the hazard posed by the Wasatch Fault to the fast-growing population of the Salt Lake Valley. As the EERI Utah Chapter’s 2015 Scenario study shows, a M7.0 earthquake in the region could result in thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of residents left without shelter, and economic losses measured in the tens of billions. But Utah’s residents are rising to the challenge of building a more resilient state. From the Fix the Bricks program to aid homeowners in adapting unreinforced masonry buildings to the ongoing seismic retrofits of major landmarks like the Salt Lake City Temple, the urban fabric of Salt Lake City is rapidly transforming to become more earthquake-resistant, while planners, policymakers, and the public are more deeply aware of the need to build resilience than ever before. On the eve of the second anniversary of the Magna earthquake, this webinar will provide an interdisciplinary overview of earthquake risk and resilience in Utah today: from the underlying seismology of the region, to current retrofit projects and engineering challenges, to the policymaking context and community planning for recovery.
Hear from these local experts about the progress Utah is making on earthquake risk mitigation—and the work that remains to be done to ensure the state is ready for high-hazard, low-probability seismic threats:
- Emily Kleber, Project Geologist, Utah Geological Survey
- Ari Bruening, President and CEO, Envision Utah
- Brent Maxfield, Structural Engineer, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Divya Chandrasekhar, Associate Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning, University of Utah
The webinar will be moderated by 12NCEE Organizing Committee co-chair Sean McGowan, Earthquake Program Manager for FEMA Region VIII.
Photo: Earthquake damage in Magna, Utah; Emily Kleber and Jessica Castleton, Utah Geological Survey
In his three-decade-long career at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Dr. Davis worked as the Departmental Chief Resilience Officer, Seismic Manager, and Geotechnical Engineering Manager, and developed a comprehensive L.A. Water System resilience program. He has served on professional committees, including the Building Seismic Safety Council, the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction, and ASCE Infrastructure Resilience Division. Dr. Davis has published more than 150 technical papers and investigated numerous earthquakes.
The EERI Northern California Regional Chapter and the EERI Learning from Earthquakes Program held a FREE webinar on the M8.2 earthquake that struck on July 28, 2021 (local date) offshore Alaska. The very strong quake was one of the largest to strike Alaska in recent history. It was located about 70 miles east southeast of Perryville, Alaska (about 500 miles southwest of Anchorage). The quake was a result of thrust faulting at a depth of 22 miles on the subduction zone between the Pacific plate and North American plate where the Pacific plate begins diving under Alaska. Fortunately, Alaska was mostly unscathed, thanks to the remote location and depth of the epicenter. Tsunami alerts were issued shortly after the earthquake and several coastal communities were evacuated. Only small tsunami waves measuring under a foot above tide level were observed initially, and tsunami alerts were called off under two hours after the quake. Final maximum wave amplitudes observed were between 1 and 2 feet above the tide, and the tsunami was detected down the U.S. West Coast as well as in Hawaii.
