Ground 'breaking' science

Tumultuous earthquakes wreak destruction on some corners of the globe monthly, and devastate some parts of it yearly. We've only really understood how & why earthquakes occur for just over a century, and we still can't tell you when The Big One will hit. But we do know where they'll happen, and we know ever better what they'll do. Humans coexist with these disasters because they're manifestations of the natural forces that allow our cities and civilization to thrive. Austin will walk you through what we've learned about earthquakes and how we apply these lessons to building social resilience.

Historical observations of volcanic activity enrich our understanding of volcanoes and their impacts, and offer a valuable way to develop plans for the response to future events. However, apart from a few examples, much of this material remains unread and little used. In this talk David shall explore examples of contemporary observations and accounts of volcanic eruptions in Europe and in the Caribbean in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. He shall show how these observations of past eruptions may help in planning for and managing the reawakening of activity at slumbering volcanoes.