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Earthquake detective uncovers clues
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June 27, 2003
Jonathan Hughes’ pioneering method of tracking the history of killer earthquakes has made him a respected sleuth in the geological world. Barely out of his doctoral studies (Fall 2002, Ph.D. in Biological Sciences), the Simon Fraser University grad is one of 10 scholars who have landed prestigious Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research fellowhips. The US Geological Survey (USGS) bestows the award in an effort to attract promising post docs, worldwide, to the organization.
As a research ecologist, Hughes will make nearly $60,000 US annually for two years and receive a $16,000 US grant to track the earthquake histories of numerous faults in Washington State's Puget Sound Lowland. "The ability to identify the recurrence intervals and severity of earthquakes along these surface faults could greatly help people mitigate seismic hazards by showing them where to avoid building or where to bolster emergency preparedness plans," says Hughes
The Puget Sound Lowland sits at the northern end of the earthquake prone Cascadia region, making its earthquake history a prime concern to urban planners and emergency preparedness officials. More than four million people, concentrated in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Olympia, live in the Puget Lowland. Dozens of surface faults, caused by earthquakes, scar the area.
What is pioneering about Hughes' Mendenhall proposal is his use of fossil-plants in sag ponds to document earthquake histories. Sag ponds are wetlands and lakes made by earthquake-induced, land-level changes that typically abut against faults. Hughes will look for evidence of past earthquakes in sag ponds, found along faults in the Puget Lowland. Fossil-plants found in the sag ponds help Hughes identify and date sequential earthquakes. Hughes currently teaches biology at Capilano College in North Vancouver.
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Contact:
Jonathan Hughes, 604.986.1911 ext. 2494; jhughes@capcollege.bc.ca
CarolThorbes, Media & PR, 604.291.3035; cthorbes@sfu.ca
As a research ecologist, Hughes will make nearly $60,000 US annually for two years and receive a $16,000 US grant to track the earthquake histories of numerous faults in Washington State's Puget Sound Lowland. "The ability to identify the recurrence intervals and severity of earthquakes along these surface faults could greatly help people mitigate seismic hazards by showing them where to avoid building or where to bolster emergency preparedness plans," says Hughes
The Puget Sound Lowland sits at the northern end of the earthquake prone Cascadia region, making its earthquake history a prime concern to urban planners and emergency preparedness officials. More than four million people, concentrated in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Olympia, live in the Puget Lowland. Dozens of surface faults, caused by earthquakes, scar the area.
What is pioneering about Hughes' Mendenhall proposal is his use of fossil-plants in sag ponds to document earthquake histories. Sag ponds are wetlands and lakes made by earthquake-induced, land-level changes that typically abut against faults. Hughes will look for evidence of past earthquakes in sag ponds, found along faults in the Puget Lowland. Fossil-plants found in the sag ponds help Hughes identify and date sequential earthquakes. Hughes currently teaches biology at Capilano College in North Vancouver.
—30—
Contact:
Jonathan Hughes, 604.986.1911 ext. 2494; jhughes@capcollege.bc.ca
CarolThorbes, Media & PR, 604.291.3035; cthorbes@sfu.ca