 Expert warning
Professor from California Institute of Technology gave repeated warnings 7 months ago.
by Jonathan Leake
A LEADING geologist repeatedly warned Indonesian officials that an earthquake and tsunami would soon strike their shores, it emerged this weekend. Kerry Sieh, professor of geology at California Institute of Technology, has been studying the region for nearly a decade. Last July he became so concerned at the likely massive loss of life that he printed and distributed 5,000 posters and brochures around some of the islands later hit by the earthquake. He addressed church congregations and schools to tell people what to do in an earthquake. His main advice was for people to live away from shorelines. Sieh had been due to meet Indonesian officials last month to discuss a wider education programme but the meeting was cancelled at the last minute by city officials because they said they had no money. Two weeks ago he expressed his fear that a big earthquake and tsunami were overdue in the region at a conference in San Francisco.
He believes another killer tsunami is coming...... please click read more to find out why.
Sieh said this weekend: “No one can predict exactly when an earthquake will happen but it was clear that this area was at relatively high risk and such an event would definitely happen one day. “We told them it would kill people, wreck infrastructure and destroy livelihoods. But our warnings were falling on deaf ears. “My team and I decided to bypass the national and local government and start warning people directly. I hope our efforts saved some lives.” Ten years ago Sieh installed monitors on islands off Sumatra. His research focused on the Mentawai Islands, a chain 100 miles south of the epicentre of the Boxing Day quake. Communication has not been re-established with the islands since the tsunami. At his speech to the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, he pointed out that, historically, such events have occurred in clusters. Sieh believes this means another quake could be on the way: “There is some evidence that the stresses on the tectonic plates south of the epicentre may now have increased and raised the chances of another major earthquake.”
Dr. Sieh, a Professor of Geology at the California Institute of Technology and a senior partner in Earth Consultants International, is an internationally recognized expert on active faults and earthquake hazards. His documentation of ancient earthquakes and slip rates along the San Andreas, San Jacinto and other California faults set the standard for quantitative estimates of the probability of future destructive earthquakes in California. He has completed three similar studies in Turkey along the North Anatolian Fault for the purpose of evaluating and advising on the future seismic risk to client industrial facilities. He has served on numerous scientific peer-review committees and advisory panels for State and Federal governments and has served as a consultant to various public utilities, municipalities and geotechnical firms.
Kerry Sieh, Ph.D. Senior Consultant Dr. Sieh’s principal research involves the study of earthquakes by geological methods. His documentation of ancient earthquakes and slip rates along the San Andreas, San Jacinto and other California faults set the standard for quantitative estimates of the probability of future destructive earthquakes in California. Currently Dr. Sieh’s work is in Taiwan, Turkey and the Caucasus, Indonesia and California. He has served on numerous scientific peer-review committees and advisory panels for State and Federal governments and has served as a consultant to various public utilities, municipalities and geotechnical firms. He formed and led the earthquake geology working group of the Southern California Earthquake Center and is Professor of Geology in the Seismological Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. EDUCATION Ph.D. (Geology), Stanford University 1977 "Late Holocene Displacement History along the South-Central Reach of the San Andreas Fault" A.B. (Geology), University of California, Riverside, with highest honors 1972 PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION Registered Geologist: California, RG 5057 (1994) PROFESSIONAL HISTORY 1986 – Present Professor of Geology 1982-1986 Associate Professor of Geology 1977-1982 Assistant Professor of Geology AWARDS AND HONORS National Academy of Science, member 1999 Geological Society of America, fellow, 1996 American Geophysical Union, fellow, 2001 E. B. Burwell, Jr., Memorial Award of the Engineering Geology Division, Geological Society of America, 1980. In recognition of published paper National Academy of Sciences Award for Initiatives in Research, 1982 Honoree, 1986 Esquire Register: Esquire, December 1986, p. 208 Honoree, 1988 Los Angeles Times, "88 in 88": Los Angeles Times Magazine, IV, January 10, 1988, p. 23 Commendation, for public service, City of West Hollywood, 1997. Outreach Award, for Knowledge Transfer, Southern California Earthquake Center, 1998
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