Cutting Edge Lectures in Science: In Search of the Source of Earthquakes

By Christie Rowe (Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill).

Earthquakes happen every day all over the world.  Most are concentrated along the boundaries of tectonic plates, but occasionally, earthquakes happen where we don't expect them.  How do these events start? What controls the location of earthquakes?  And what happens to all the energy that is released? Thousands or millions of years of erosion can reveal the deeper crustal rocks, which were the source of ancient earthquakes. Seeking out surface exposures of these ancient faults can give some insight into the physical and chemical controls on earthquakes.  McGill Assistant Professor Christie Rowe from the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences will present stories from her field work across North America, Africa, and the deep ocean offshore Japan in search of answers to these questions.  She will show the discoveries made during her April-May 2012 ocean drilling expedition to study the deep ocean fault which produced the great Tohoku 3/11/11 earthquake, and compare this fault to ancient faults in Alaska and Namibia which produced great earthquakes millions of years ago.  Finally, she will argue that earthquakes are a key process in forming ore deposits and show examples from Québec and around the world. 

***The Redpath Museum will supply magnifying lens, as there will be a chance to examine a selection of earthquake-formed rocks
after the talk.  

Initiated in 2003 with the express purpose of fostering communication between scientists in different disciplines as well as between scientists and the public, Cutting Edge Lectures in Science are made possible through the generous support of Faculty of Medical Sciences (Professor Marianna Newkirk, Associate Dean Research), Faculty of Arts (Professor Christopher Manfredi, Dean), Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (Professor Chandra Madramootoo, Dean), Faculty of Science (Professor Martin Grant, Dean) and the Centre for Applied Mathematics in Bioscience and Medicine (CAMBAM). For more information, please call 514-398-4094.