A USU geoscientist has been awarded an NSF grant to study earthquake precursors

Sricharan Shridharan, a geosciences faculty member at Utah State University, prepares to conduct an experiment with graduate students, from left, Kwabena Poku-Agyemang and Alejandro Aguilar, using a specially designed “earthquake machine” for 1-meter biaxial deformation. The NSF-funded research aims to allow scientists to observe more realistic representations of natural fault systems with the goal of improving earthquake prediction. Credit: Mary Ann Movolito

LOGAN, Utah, USA – You can see dark clouds forming in the distance in preparation for stormy weather. Hurricane forecasters can identify storms as they develop over the oceans, track their movement and make reasonable predictions about the direction of disturbances, how strong they will be, and when they might occur.

But that's not the case with earthquakes, says Utah State University geologist Sricharan Shridharan.

“If you could see the forerunner of an earthquake, you should be able to see a meter of rock, moving at less than a millimeter per second 10 to 20 kilometers beneath our feet,” he says. “This is not possible with the naked eye.”

Despite decades of research and careful documentation of very small observations on the millimeter to centimeter scale, Shridharan says reliable, short-range earthquake prediction remains elusive.

To address this challenge, he proposes to scale up data collected on millimeter-scale faults to the metric scale, using an “earthquake machine” specifically designed for 1-meter biaxial deformation, combined with machine learning techniques. Shridharan, who led the effort with Gregory McClaskey of Cornell University, received nearly $300,000 in funding, nearly half of the total award, from a three-year National Science Foundation Earth Sciences Grant to pursue this approach.

“This device will enable us to adapt seismic interrogation techniques previously used in centimeter-scale experiments to metric-scale deformation experiments, allowing us to observe more realistic representations of natural fault systems,” says Shridharan. “This approach could provide significant improvements to earthquake prediction and thus improve seismic risk mitigation efforts.”

In Shridharan's lab in Utah State University's Department of Earth Sciences, graduate students, from left, Sapana Regmi and Lindsay Broderick, perform a shear test on a load frame to measure the shear strength of a small rock sample. One goal of the NSF-funded research is to improve earthquake modeling. Credit: Mary Ann Movolito

Shridharan and his students, along with McClaskey, will use active source techniques to study pre- and post-earthquake deformation mechanisms on dry and fluid-saturated faults on a metric scale.

“Our goals include exploring whether it is possible to identify strong differences in the properties of seismic waves before and/or after earthquakes and to determine the physical mechanisms responsible for such differences,” he says.

Furthermore, the team will evaluate the feasibility of practically predicting cracks on metric-sized faults, using machine learning to analyze large data sets collected during earthquake experiments.

“Earthquakes affect people on every continent, costing thousands of lives every year,” says Shridharan. “However, they are among the most unpredictable natural hazards we face. Through our research, we want to change this.”

More information: Research supported by a National Science Foundation Earth Sciences grant. Mary Ann Muffoletto, PIO, Utah State University College of Science, [email protected]

Expert Contacts: Dr. Srisharan Shreedharan, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Utah State University, [email protected]; Dr. Gregory McClaskey, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, [email protected]

Provided by Utah State University

Citation: Dangerous Ground: USU geoscientist awarded NSF grant to study earthquake precursors (2024, November 7) Retrieved November 8, 2024 from https://sciencex.com/wire-news/492455468/dangerous-ground-usu-geoscientist -awarded-nsf -awarded-study-ear.html

This document is subject to copyright. Notwithstanding any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos