Natural disasters are unavoidable, many of their consequences are not. On Tuesday, January 26, 18 hrs, Oxford emeritus John F. Dewey will speak about how mankind can better prepare for earthquakes or volcanic eruptions at the Großer Bauingenieur-Hörsaal, Baumeister-Platz 1, building 10.50, KIT Campus South. This presentation in English will be part of the 2nd Geo-KIT Symposium, an event organized jointly by the Institute for Applied Geosciences and ZAK Center for Applied Cultural Science and Studium Generale.
The tsunami in Southeast Asia in 2004 and the current earthquake catastrophe on Haiti reveal the destructive force of our planet. Since four and a half billion years, the earth has been threatened episodically or at periodic time intervals by a series of natural disasters of various type, duration, and intensity. They are caused by the inner forces of the earth (e.g. earthquakes and volcanic eruptions) or the solar system (for example, meteorite impacts from space).
In his public presentation “Natural Geohazards – Governmental and Individual Responsibility“, John F. Dewey will refer to various examples of earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. According to the professor of geology, the central challenge for mankind lies in the precise forecast of such events. Continuous recordings of measurement data and their modeling on various time scales from one to ten to thousand years and understanding of geological and physical processes may contribute to mitigating economic, political, and humanitarian damage. However, this requires an effective knowledge transfer from research to the parties affected as well as increased individual and societal responsibility in handling natural hazards, for instance, when settling on hazardous areas.
Geologieprofessor John Frederick Dewey im „Außeneinsatz“ (Foto: privat)
John Frederick Dewey, born 1937, is emeritus of the University of Oxford and Professor of Geology at the University of California. The structural geologist is the leading representative of the theory of plate tectonics, according to which the lithosphere (the earth’s crust and uppermost earth mantle) consists of about 20 rigid plates that move relatively to each other at various speeds. Dewey is an authority in the field of the evolution and development of mountain chains and Fellow of the British Royal Society.
The 2nd Geo-KIT Symposium ”New Ideas of Plate Tectonic Problems“ at KIT does not only comprise this public presentation, but also an expert workshop on two mornings, during which John F. Dewey will present current findings relating to mechanical processes at the plate boundaries. At these plate boundaries located on continents or at the bottom of oceans, rock crust is “created” or “swallowed”. Detailed knowledge of these mechanisms is required to better understand natural hazards like earthquakes. The Geo-KIT Symposium is funded by the KIT Earth and Environment Competence Area. It will provide students and scientists of KIT with an opportunity to exchange opinion with prominent, internationally renowned geoscientists.
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.