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How do we predict and reduce the risks from earthquakes? What about for people living next to active volcanoes? Join us for talks that will rock your world as we delve in to the science of what planet earth gets up to beneath our feet.
On volcanic crises and how to tell the bad news
Professor Jurgen Neuberg
(Professor of Physical Volcanology)
In 1995, Montserrat's long-dormant volcano came back to life. Plymouth, the island's capital, has been buried and 19 people lost their lives, but for the last 8 years the volcano seemed silent and locals are impatient to return to their homes. Prof Neuberg, a volcanologist at the University of Leeds, the chairman of a Scientific Advisory Committee to the Government, tasked with assessing the risk of the volcano. He will explain how his team at Leeds found out that the volcano is still accumulating fresh magma every second, and how difficult it is to convey this message to government and public
Did the Earth move for you? Using satellites to reduce earthquake risk.
Professor Tim Wright
(Professor of Satellite Geodesy)
Since 1900, 35 earthquakes worldwide have each killed at least 10,000 people. Giving short-term predictions for earthquakes seems impossible. But, during the long gaps between earthquakes, the ground surface steadily warps in response to tectonic forces. Measuring these subtle movements is a powerful new tool for assessing and predicting the risk of earthquakes. I will describe how we can do this with the latest satellite technology, and how we might use the results to reduce the devastating impacts of earthquakes.
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