(in German) Schweizerischer Erdbebendienst (in French) Service sismologique suisse (in Italian) Servizio sismico svizzero (in Romansh) Servizi da terratrembels svizzer | |
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Agency overview | |
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Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland |
Employees | About 70 |
Agency executive |
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Website | www.seismo.ethz.ch |
The Swiss Seismological Service (German : Schweizerischer Erdbebendienst (SED), French : Service sismologique suisse, Italian : Servizio sismico svizzero, Romansh : Servizi da terratrembels svizzer) at ETH Zurich is the federal agency responsible for monitoring earthquakes in Switzerland and its neighboring countries and for assessing Switzerland's seismic hazard. When an earthquake happens, the SED informs the public, authorities, and the media about the earthquake's location, magnitude, and possible consequences. The activities of the SED are integrated in the federal action plan for earthquake precaution.
The beginnings of the SED trace back to the establishment of the Erdbebenkommission in 1878. In 1911, the first earthquake surveillance station of Switzerland was established in Degenried near Zurich. Three years later (1914), the earthquake monitoring mandate was defined in a federal law. Thus, what had been a voluntary activity was transformed into an institution. 1957 the federal assembly agrees on a federal law which puts the SED under the wing of the ETH Zurich (Institute of Geophysics). In its present form as a nondepartmental unit of ETH Zurich, the SED has been in existence since 2009. [1]
More than 200 seismic monitoring stations installed and serviced by the SED constantly monitor earthquake activity in Switzerland and its neighboring countries. All stations operate high-dynamic-range sensors with wide frequency bandwidths and are digitised on modern 24- or 26-bit data loggers, which stream data in real time, targeting minimum latency. Any data that arrives in Zurich are managed and processed by SED. By assessing its quality, SED ensures that the data are ready to use to produce an Earthquake Catalogue and in downstream research. The processing center in Zurich acquires data recorded in Switzerland from two different sources: [2]
Although the main focus lies on Switzerland, SED also develops techniques that can be applied elsewhere and teaming up with agencies around the world to develop, install and monitor systems. Furthermore, SED is working closely together with other seismological services in immediate neighboring countries.
In comparison with other European countries Switzerland faces a medium seismic hazard, but there are regional differences: In Valais, Basel, the St. Gallen Rhine Valley, Mittelbünden, the Engadine, and Central Switzerland more earthquakes are registered than in other regions. However, earthquakes may occur anytime and anywhere in Switzerland. Between 1’000 and 1’500 earthquakes a year are recorded in Switzerland and its immediate neighboring countries. Actually, between 10 and 20 quakes a year are strong enough to be felt by citizens, usually those with a magnitude of 2.5 or above.
A strong earthquake with a magnitude of approximately 6 occurs every 50 to 100 years on average. The last time an earthquake of such magnitude was recorded was in 1946 near Sierre in Valais.
The strongest earthquake in Switzerland so far had a magnitude of approximately 6.6 and destroyed large parts of the city of Basel in 1356. If such an earthquake were to occur in Basel today, several thousand fatalities, tens of thousands of seriously and slightly injured people, and property damage on the order of approximately CHF 140 billion could be expected.
The best protection measures against the effects of an earthquake are an earthquake-resistant building design and securing objects that may topple. 90 percent of the buildings in Switzerland are not built to a seismic code, and it is not clear to what extent they could withstand a strong earthquake. Only few cantons have statutory regulations requiring adherence to construction standards for earthquake-resistant building. [3] [4]
Earthquakes can neither be predicted nor prevented. However, the SED records the ground tremors around the clock. Within approximately 90 seconds details about the time, location, magnitude, and possible effects of an earthquake are displayed on the website www.seismo.ethz.ch. The SED automatically reports any noticeable earthquakes to the authorities and the media. At the same time, this information is transmitted to the SED's 24-hour on-call service via pager, e-mail, and SMS. This service is also available to the authorities and the media for further information about current earthquakes, and prepares background information that is published on the website. In case of earthquakes that cause major damage worldwide, the SED additionally informs the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA). [5]
Besides earthquake monitoring and the assessment of seismic hazard, the researchers of the SED are involved in numerous national and international research projects, which are largely financed by third parties. This guarantees the permanent exchange of information across national borders. Fields in which the SED researchers are involved include, for example, glacial and engineering seismology, static seismology, induced seismic activity, as well as the monitoring of landslides and seismotectonics. The main aim of research conducted at the SED is to gain a clearer understanding of earthquakes and their consequences and thereby contribute towards improving the response to such natural hazards, which pose a threat worldwide. At the same time, SED seeks novel ways of using seismological methods to find out more about fundamental processes that shape the Earth. The training of junior researchers also plays an important role for the SED. This is done with lectures and seminars that are integral parts of the teaching program at ETH, as well as through the supervision of master's and doctoral theses. [6]
In 1996, the UN countries decided to draft an agreement on the ban of nuclear tests. An international monitoring system was established to control the adherence to this agreement. The SED contributes by supplying the authority in charge in Vienna with data recorded by the seismic station in the Davos region, which was constructed for exactly this purpose. For example, the seismic station already recorded the corresponding ground shaking twelve minutes after the nuclear test in North Korea in 2013. [7]
Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the generation and propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or other planetary bodies. It also includes studies of earthquake environmental effects such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, glacial, fluvial, oceanic microseism, atmospheric, and artificial processes such as explosions and human activities. A related field that uses geology to infer information regarding past earthquakes is paleoseismology. A recording of Earth motion as a function of time, created by a seismograph is called a seismogram. A seismologist is a scientist works in basic or applied seismology.
The New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), sometimes called the New Madrid Fault Line, is a major seismic zone and a prolific source of intraplate earthquakes in the Southern and Midwestern United States, stretching to the southwest from New Madrid, Missouri.
Induced seismicity is typically earthquakes and tremors that are caused by human activity that alters the stresses and strains on Earth's crust. Most induced seismicity is of a low magnitude. A few sites regularly have larger quakes, such as The Geysers geothermal plant in California which averaged two M4 events and 15 M3 events every year from 2004 to 2009. The Human-Induced Earthquake Database (HiQuake) documents all reported cases of induced seismicity proposed on scientific grounds and is the most complete compilation of its kind.
The 1356 Basel earthquake is the most significant seismological event to have occurred in Central Europe in recorded history and had a moment magnitude in the range of 6.0–7.1. This earthquake, which occurred on 18 October 1356, is also known as the Sankt-Lukas-Tag Erdbeben, as 18 October is the feast day of Saint Luke the Evangelist.
The 2008 Illinois earthquake was one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in the Midwest state of Illinois. This moderate strike-slip shock measured 5.2 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong). It occurred at 04:36:59 local time on April 18 near Bellmont and Mount Carmel, Illinois, within the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone. Earthquakes in this part of the country are often felt at great distances.
The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology is a Swiss research institution for application-oriented materials science and technology. It has three locations – Dübendorf, St. Gallen and Thun. As part of the ETH Domain, it is assigned to the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER). For more than 100 years since its foundation in 1880, Empa has been a material testing institute. Since the late 1980s, it has increasingly transformed into an interdisciplinary research institute for materials and technologies.
In April and May 1991, two consecutive rockslides occurred from a cliff above the town of Randa in the Matter valley of Switzerland. The rockslides released a cumulative volume of approximately 30 million cubic meters of debris, with each of the rockslide stages occurring over several hours. Slide debris buried key regional transportation lines including the road and railway leading to Zermatt, and dammed the Mattervispa river which eventually flooded a portion of the town of Randa upstream. There were no fatalities resulting from either of the rockslide events, though livestock, farmhouses and holiday homes were destroyed.
Induced seismicity in Basel led to suspension of its hot dry rock enhanced geothermal systems project. A seismic-hazard evaluation was then conducted, resulting in the cancellation of the project in December 2009. Basel, Switzerland sits atop a historically active fault and most of the city was destroyed in a magnitude 6.5 earthquake in 1356. But the Basel project, although it had established an operational approach for addressing induced earthquakes, had not performed a thorough seismic risk assessment before starting geothermal stimulation.
In May 2012, two major earthquakes struck Northern Italy, causing 27 deaths and widespread damage. The events are known in Italy as the 2012 Emilia earthquakes, because they mainly affected the Emilia region.
The territory of Kyrgyzstan is characterized by high seismicity. About three thousand earthquakes occur on average each year with magnitude up to eight points. Therefore, seismic monitoring by the Kyrgyz Seismic Network is of crucial importance to the country.
The National Seismological Center of the University of Chile is part of the Department of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Chile. The center collects information about seismic activity in Chile and delivers it to the National Office of Emergency at the Ministry of the Interior (ONEMI) and the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy (SHOA). The current director of the CSN is Sergio Barrientos Parra. The National Seismological Center is housed by the Department of Geophysics (DGF).
The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) is an office of India's Ministry of Earth Sciences. The office monitors earthquakes and conducts seismological research. Specifically, it provides earthquake surveillance and hazard reports to governmental agencies. It consists of various divisions:
The Center for Security Studies (CSS) is a center at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, which focuses on Swiss and international security.
The Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) is a collaboration of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and regional, state, and academic partners that collects and analyzes data on significant earthquakes to provide near real-time information to emergency responders and officials, the news media, and the public. Such information is used to anticipate the likely severity and extent of damage, and to guide decisions on the responses needed.
The 1941 Sa'dah earthquake or the Jabal Razih earthquake occurred on January 11 in Razih District of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen. The earthquake had a surface-wave magnitude of 5.8–6.5 and a shallow focal depth. Despite the moderate size of this earthquake, an estimated 1,200 people perished and at least 200 injured. With a maximum MSK-64 intensity assigned at VIII, it destroyed many villages and collapsed homes in the region of North Yemen.
The 1946 Valais earthquake struck on January 25 at 17:32 local time with an epicenter region in Sierre, near the capital city of Sion in Valais, a canton in Switzerland. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude (Mw ) of 6.2 and a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe).
Renato Renner is a Swiss professor for Theoretical Physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, where he is head of the Research Group for Quantum Information Theory. His research interests include Quantum Information and Computation, the Foundations of Quantum Physics and Quantum thermodynamics.
The 1584 Aigle earthquake occurred on 11 March at 23:00–23:30 local time in Switzerland. The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 5.9–6.4 and maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The shock generated a tsunami in Lake Geneva. It was followed by 25 aftershocks in the following days. An aftershock on 14 March triggered a large rockslide that killed 320 people.