Increasing the awareness of local earthquake hazards and risks will be one of the primary objectives of a new research center housed at UNLV.
The UNLV Applied Geophysics Center (AGC), approved by the Board of Regents last month, was developed to enhance the knowledge of geophysical issues and hazards that effect southern Nevada and to help mitigate the consequences of any future seismic activity.
"The center allows us to further refine and focus our research endeavors so that we may better understand the geological and geotechnical composition of our valley, " said Catherine Snelson, assistant professor of geosciences at UNLV and the director of the AGC. " We hope to simultaneously prepare our students for professional careers in science and engineering while also providing an important educational component for the safety and well-being of our community."
Results released this week of a study conducted by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology showed that an earthquake of magnitude 6.6 in southern Nevada could result in hundreds of deaths and more than $17 billion in damages.
Although the figures seem daunting, Snelson says that increased public awareness of the earthquake hazards in southern Nevada will dramatically decrease the severity of such an event.
"By taking relatively simple precautions, like making earthquake preparedness kits for their homes, Nevadans can significantly diminish the potential dangers of an earthquake," Snelson said.
Later this month, as part of Nevada's Earthquake Awareness Week , Snelson and her colleagues will launch a public education campaign, which will include safety expos, public service announcements, utility bill inserts, and a website, all designed to raise awareness of earthquake safety and preparedness.
Snelson and her colleagues at the AGC are also currently involved in an ongoing project titled "Earthquakes in Southern Nevada - Uncovering Hazards and Mitigating Risk."
Preliminary results of that study, which is being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, are available upon request.
The center will draw upon the expertise of faculty from the departments of civil and environmental engineering, geosciences, and the College of Sciences, as well as from adjunct faculty from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and the University of Nevada, Reno. Both graduate and undergraduate research assistants will also be employed by the center.
An additional goal of the AGC includes an outreach component designed to encourage increased enthusiasm for science and engineering in primary and secondary school children.
The AGC is housed jointly in the existing Engineering Geophysical Laboratory in the Thomas Beam Engineering Complex and in the Technology Building. Additional space has been allocated for seismic activity monitoring stations in the new Science, Engineering, and Technology building, which is currently under construction. The center will operate solely on external funding and requires no state monies.
