What: Distinguished seismologist and guest lecturer Thorne Lay, Ph.D., presents “A Global Surge of Great Earthquakes and What We Are Learning from Them”
When: 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 4
Where: Undergraduate Learning Center, room 126, UTEP campus
The frequency of great earthquakes recently hit a record high. Defined as a magnitude 8 or higher, at least 18 great earthquakes have occurred on Earth in the past decade. But what have seismologists learned from these disastrous quakes?
Former El Pasoan and distinguished seismologist Thorne Lay, Ph.D., will visit The University of Texas at El Paso to present his research and insights about earth’s deep structure and how the ground ruptures to generate great quakes.
“We have had a series of giant earthquakes that have done enormous amounts of damage,” said UTEP Professor of Geological Sciences Aaron Velasco, Ph.D., who is a former student of Lay’s. “Thorne Lay has focused on the events to understand the process of stress buildup and the release of that stress that occurs during these massive earthquakes.”
Velasco added, “This research could lead to understanding where and possibly when great earthquakes will occur.”
Now a distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences at The University of California, Santa Cruz, Lay recently was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his continuing achievements in original scientific research. Membership in the academy is one of the highest honors a U.S. scientist can receive.
Mayor Oscar Leeser will present the El Paso High School graduate with a Star of the Mountain award — the city’s recognition for lifetime achievement — prior to the lecture.
Lay’s talk is free and open to the public. His visit is supported by the UTEP College of Science Fessinger-Springer Memorial Lectureship fund.
Media Note: Lay will be available for interviews at 3:30 p.m.