PEER sponsors researchers to study Canterbury Earthquake in NZ

PEER is supporting three researchers to study the earthquake damage and societal effects from the recent M7.1 Canterbury earthquake that struck near Christchurch, New Zealand on September 3, 2010.

  • – Mary Comerio, UC Berkeley Professor of Architecture, EERI Canterbury Reconnaissance team leader
  • – Charles Roeder, Professor of Engineering at the University of Washington
  • – Fred Turner, Structural Engineer with the California Seismic Safety Commission

These researchers will be a part of the team organized by EERI's Learning from Earthquakes Program and will also be working closely other teams including Geo-engineering Extreme Events Reconnaissance Association (GEER), AIR Worldwide, the U.S. Geological Survey and Humboldt State University. Their research work will be possible with coordination and assistance from the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering and GNS Science, as well as faculty at the University of Canterbury.

The goal of their efforts will be to investigate the earthquake effects to buildings, infrastructure and ports, and society, then to determine what lessons can be learned from this earthquake that can be applied both in NZ and in the US.

For more information about the teams progress, see EERI Earthquake Clearinghouse website.

Read the EERI Press Release - PDF file (144 KB).

posted September 13, 2010