A powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s eastern coast Tuesday, prompting tsunami warnings for Alaska and Hawaii and advisories along parts of the U.S. West Coast.
Experts from Rice University are available to comment on various topics related to earthquakes, including seismic dynamics, structural safety and disaster resilience strategies.
Seismic waves and aftershocks
Brandon Schmandt, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, studies seismic wave propagation and Earth imaging. He can discuss how seismic waves from major earthquakes affect distant areas and lead to aftershocks.
Colin Zelt, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, specializes in seismic modeling and inversion techniques. He can explain how main earthquakes and aftershocks are detected and interpreted.
Melodie French, associate professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, can discuss how plate tectonics and the types of rock in fault zones may have influenced the recent megathrust earthquake. She specializes in the physics of earthquakes, including how they start, spread and stop. Additionally, French studies how rocks behave deep underground, affecting the location and magnitude of earthquakes.
Richard Gordon, W.M. Keck professor of geophysics, focuses on plate tectonics and seafloor dynamics. He studies the motion and deformation of the Earth's outer strong layer, called the lithosphere, that leads to earthquakes.
Infrastructure systems
Kalil Erazo, assistant teaching professor of civil and environmental engineering, can address how critical infrastructure systems including bridges, buildings and transportation networks respond to the seismic forces generated by earthquakes.
Community resilience
Dominic Boyer, professor of anthropology, studies the cultural and emotional toll of disasters, particularly in flood-prone communities. His research focuses on storm recovery and the development of green infrastructure in underserved neighborhoods.
Cymene Howe, professor of anthropology, focuses on social transformations linked to global warming, particularly in coastal cities vulnerable to sea-level rise and storm events.
To schedule an interview with any of the experts, please contact media relations specialists Marcy de Luna at marcy.deluna@rice.edu or Alex Becker at Alex.Becker@rice.edu.