GI Scientists Contribute to Earthquake Study Featured in Science Journal

Submitted by Vicki Daniels
Phone: (907) 474-5823
05/19/03

Seven researchers at the UAF Geophysical Institute contributed to a study featured in the May 16 issue of the journal Science. The article describes research conducted on the magnitude 7.9 Denali fault earthquake that struck Alaska on Nov. 3, 2002.

State Seismologist Roger Hansen, who directs the Geophysical Institute’s Alaska Earthquake Information Center, contributed to the collaborative research effort that resulted in the Science article, along with Geophysical Institute researchers Jeffrey Freymueller, Natalia Ratchkovski, Hilary Fletcher, SigrÏn HreinsdÑttir, Christopher Larsen, and Wesley Wallace. The scientists were part of a team of 29 researchers from various agencies involved in the study.

The Denali fault earthquake was the largest earthquake in the world in 2002, and the largest strike-slip earthquake in North America in almost 150 years. The event began on the previously unknown Susitna Glacier fault, and continued along the Denali and Totschunda faults to create a massive quake felt thousands of miles away.

Studying the mechanics of the November 3 earthquake helps seismologists and safety planners better understand potential hazards in more populated strike-slip zones, such as the San Andreas fault in southern California, where a similar quake could prove devastating.

"The earthquake occurred on a fault that had been historically quiet, but has now proven itself to be very active," Hansen said. "The size of the earthquake and the length of the fault could have caused extensive damage had it occurred in a more populated area. It is exciting for us to be able to work on such an important earthquake knowing that there were no deaths associated with it."

Other contributing agencies to the study include the U.S. Geological Survey, the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Central Washington University, Humboldt State University, California Institute of Technology, and the University of California Berkeley.

CONTACTS:

Roger Hansen, State Seismologist, Alaska Earthquake Information Center, UAF Geophysical Institute: (907) 474-5533

Vicki Daniels, Public Relations Specialist, UAF Geophysical Institute: (907) 474-5823