Download - The L’Aquila earthquake Case
Source: Filippo Monteforte / AFP / Getty ImagesThe Daily Beast
April 6, 2009 M6.3 Very seismic region L'Aquila built on ancient
lake bed – amplifies motion
Medieval city –old construction not to modern codes
20,000 buildings damaged
30,000 homeless
Basic EQ Facts +1 magnitude = +30 x energy (a few small
ones don’t stop a big one) Most deaths in earthquakes occur in
collapsed buildings
Earthquake Prediction A reliable earthquake prediction
should occur BEFORE the event and include:LocationTimeSizeHow likely
Reasons behind prediction (justification)
Short-term EQ Prediction – Hasn’t been done reliablyNone of these are reliable Radon gas measurements Animal behavior (dogs barking) Alignment of the moon and the sun Micro earthquakes Earthquake swarms Changes in shear and primary wave
velocities (Vs/Vp)
False Prediction by Giampaolo Giuliani – March 29, 2009 Phoned the mayor of the town of Sulmona,
about 55 kilometers southeast of L'Aquila, to expect a "damaging" — or even "catastrophic" — earthquake within 6 to 24 hours.
Loudspeaker vans warned the inhabitants of Sulmona (not L'Aquila) to evacuate
Residents panicked. Then no EQ occurred Giuliano cited for inciting public alarm and
prohibited from making public predictions.
Quote from Enzo Boschi
“It is unlikely that an earthquake like the one in 1703 could occur in the short term, but the possibility cannot be totally excluded.”
Note: No mention was made of what to do if a major earthquake should occur
Quote from Marcell Melandri – Lawyer for Enzo Boschi . . . scientists may now, effectively, be
forced to rethink how they interpret science when citizens are worried. And that, he says, will compromise their authority. “In Italy you will now see many more false alarms in such situations, because experts will choose to cry wolf when in doubt. In the end they will become less and less credible.”
You Are the Court Judge Were the scientists/engineers negligent or just
guilty of poor communication of the risk by providing “incomplete, imprecise, and contradictory information”?
Is poor communication a crime punishable by prison?
In the future should the committee predict an earthquake even if the probability is very small?
Should issuing a false alarm also be a crime? List the important facts you know and those you
would like to know more about List the conflicts Do any code of ethics elements apply here?
Turn in a Written Summary Include all your names and student ID
numbers at the TOP (write neatly so we can see them)
Follow with issues and conflicts (This can be bullets)
Finish with short summary (3 or 4 sentences) of your analysis