Kraw Lecture: The Earthquake Problem

When will the next big one hit? Earthquake prediction is high in the public’s imagination and remains the central, unsolved problem for earthquake physicists.
Join Emily Brodsky, professor and earthquake physicist at UC Santa Cruz, for an in depth discussion about when earthquakes might happen. Professor Brodsky will approach the conversation from four different perspectives. She will first discuss how scientists study earthquakes one at a time using a fundamental science approach and data collected from the world’s deepest water drilling. Second, she will share how scientists look at geological investigations of fault rocks to inform our understanding of the kind of earthquakes that will occur. Third, Brodsky will examine the statistics of earthquake occurrence and note the recent advances made by machine learning. Finally, Brodsky will look at earthquakes from a geographic context and how the ice streams of Antarctica provide insight into earthquake initiation.