HR: 0800h
AN: ED31A-0081    [Abstracts]
TI: Modern Earthquake Hazard Assessments in Afghanistan: A USGS Training Course
AU: * Garthwaite, M
EM: mattgarthwaite@gmail.com
AF: US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Rd. MS 977, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
AU: Mooney, W D
EM: mooney@usgs.gov
AF: US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Rd. MS 977, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
AU: Medlin, J
EM: jmedlin@usgs.gov
AF: US Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr. MS 917, Reston, VA 20192, United States
AU: Holzer, T
EM: tholzer@usgs.gov
AF: US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Rd. MS 977, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
AU: McGarr, A
EM: mcgarr@usgs.gov
AF: US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Rd. MS 977, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
AU: Bohannon, R
EM: bbohannon
AF: US Geological Survey, Box 25046 Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225, United States
AB: Afghanistan is located in a tectonically active region at the western extent of the Indo-Asian collision zone, where ongoing deformation has generated rugged mountainous terrain, and where large earthquakes occur frequently. These earthquakes can cause damage, not only from strong ground shaking and surface rupture, but also from liquefaction and extensive landsliding. The M=6.1 earthquake of March 25, 2002 highlighted the vulnerability of Afghan communities to such hazards, and resulted in at least 1000 fatalities. This training course in modern earthquake hazard assessments is an integral part of the international effort to provide technical assistance to Afghanistan using an "end-to-end" approach. This approach involves providing assistance in all stages of hazard assessment, from identifying earthquakes, to disseminating information on mitigation strategies to the public. The purpose of this training course, held December 2-6, 2006 at the Afghan Geological Survey in Kabul, was to provide a solid background in the relevant seismological and geological methods for preparing for future earthquakes. With this information, participants may now be expected to educate other members of the Afghan community. In addition, they are better prepared to conduct earthquake hazard assessments and to build the capabilities of the Afghan Geological Survey. The training course was taught using a series of Power Point lectures, with all lectures being presented in English and translated into Dari, one of the two main languages of Afghanistan. The majority of lecture slides were also annotated in both English and Dari. Lectures were provided to the students in both hardcopy and digital formats. As part of the on-going USGS participation in the program, additional training sessions are planned in the subjects of field geology, modern concepts in Earth science, mineral resource assessments and applied geophysics.
DE: 0830 Teacher training
DE: 0845 Instructional tools
DE: 7223 Earthquake interaction, forecasting, and prediction (1217, 1242)
DE: 7230 Seismicity and tectonics (1207, 1217, 1240, 1242)
DE: 8120 Dynamics of lithosphere and mantle: general (1213)
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting