Queensland's earthquake risk canvassed at meeting
The risk of a large earthquake in Queensland will be discussed at a meeting in Brisbanetomorrow.
The Queensland University Advanced Centre for Earthquake Studies (QUAKES) 1998 annual meeting and report will be held from 8.30am until 4.30pm on October 29.
Formal presentations, a round-table discussion and informal discussions will be held in the Kathleen Room at the University of Queensland Staff and Graduates Club, Staff House Road, St Lucia and participants can tour the nearby QUAKES Centre.
QUAKES was established in 1994 after responsibility for earthquake monitoring within Queensland was transferred from the Queensland Department of Mines and Energy to the University of Queensland.
The annual meeting's purpose is to inform State Government departments and other agencies responsible for earthquake risk management in Queensland, Centre sponsors and other invited guests about main achievements since the 1997 meeting and to present major developments and future directions.
It will include presentations on Queensland's earthquake hazard and recent seismicity, the prospect and implication of detecting the lead-up to a major Australian earthquake and the development of an improved earthquake hazard system based on supercomputer simulation of the earthquake cycle.
QUAKES director Professor Peter Mora said an improved earthquake hazard quantification system was highly pertinent to Queensland.
"We need to be smart in order to gain the information needed for mitigation and preparedness planning for this natural hazard. Earthquakes are too easy to underestimate because existence signs, frequent lower level seismic activity, are not normally perceptible to human senses and require sensitive instruments," he said.
ACES (the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Co-operation for Earthquake Simulation) will also be discussed.
Sponsored by Australia, China, Japan and the United States of America, this project involves leading international earthquake simulation and prediction research groups.
QUAKES was endorsed as ACES headquarters earlier this year at the inaugural meeting of the International Science Board.
ACES aims to develop realistic supercomputer simulation models for the complete earthquake generation process, providing a "virtual laboratory" to probe earthquake behaviour.
Professor Mora said the meeting would also include a keynote address on high-performance computing by Silicon Graphics chief scientist Dr John Mashey.
For more information, contact QUAKES (telephone 07 3365 2128 or 07 3365 7418, facsimile 07 3365 7347, email mora@earthsciences.uq.edu.au or Internet http://quakes.earthsciences.uq.edu.au).
