Tip sheet for International Seismology Research Conference

In October 2006, North Korea conducted its first test of a nuclear weapon underground, sending shockwaves through the global political scene. But the explosion also sent seismic waves to the hundreds of monitoring stations around the planet, offering a rare chance to test--in real time--the latest advances in seismological monitoring techniques against a surprise nuclear event. As scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory and other institutions will discuss, one of the biggest challenges for seismological monitoring has been developing a three-dimensional model of the Earth for their calculations. Earthquake researchers have long used 3-D modeling, but the nuclear monitoring research community is just beginning to adopt the same methods at a finer scale suitable for their efforts. Advances in high-speed computing, along with a better understanding of structural and spatial differences within the Earth’s crust and mantle, are making 3-D models more useful in seismological nuclear monitoring. These increasingly detailed models can help researchers more accurately pinpoint the geographical source and timing of future nuclear tests, the SSA scientists say.

SSA Honors a “Can Do” Seismologist
SSA Annual Luncheon, April 17; Location: Eldorado Hotel--Pavilion

On Thursday, April 17, SSA will present Michael Fehler, a seismologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with its Distinguished Service Award, which honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the work of the Society.

“He has worked tirelessly on behalf of not just SSA, but the entire seismological community, which has earned him his “can do” reputation,” said Susan Newman, executive director of SSA. Fehler is the former president of SSA in 2005 and editor of its prestigious journal, the Bulletin of the Seismological Society from 1995 to 2004. He is credited with improving the quality of the journal’s editorial process, reducing the time from submission to publication and thereby improving the flow of communication through the international seismological community. He streamlined the review process and expanded the number seismologists involved in reviewing, soliciting, and editing the papers, resulting in greater range of expertise at the journal.

While Editor, Fehler produced his own research and collaborations, one result of which was the publication of a highly-cited book (“Seismic Wave Propagation and Scattering in the Heterogeneous Earth”, by H. Sato and M. Fehler, 1998). Meanwhile, he kept his original work going, and his tally of peer-reviewed publications kept pace, totaling nearly 80 by 2004.

SSA was established in direct response to the 1906 earthquake along the San Andreas Fault that destroyed much of San Francisco. This year's conference will feature research on the closely watched Hayward Fault east of San Francisco, the geology of the Rio Grande Rift, seismic monitoring, earthquake prediction research, archaeoseismology, and more. SSA's scholarly journal, the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA), features a special section on the 1906 earthquake in its April issue, which presents new research on the intensity of the quake's ground motion and the link between the San Andreas and Cascadia faults.

Contact: Nan Broadbent
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