The fate of Australia's coastline if hit by a giant Tsunami wave and the vulnerability of major cities to earthquakes are among topics to be covered at a national conference on geohazards in Brisbane next month.
The 'Earthquakes in Australian cities - can we ignore the risks?' conference and trade display, organised by the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society (AEES), will be held at the University of Queensland campus in Brisbane on October 2 and 3.
The AEES is a technical society of the Institution of Engineers, Australia.
The conference will address delegates from the three tiers of government, researchers, insurers, developers and engineers and will focus on earthquake detection and measures which can be taken to reduce the loss of life and property.
It will be opened by the acting Director-General of the Queensland State Emergency Services, Roger Plastow, whose department is a major sponsor.
The Queensland University Advanced Centre for Earthquake Studies (QUAKES), and Seismological Research Centre at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology , are also major sponsors.
They will present Australian monitoring equipment being produced in Australia and super-computer-generated models for research into earthquake prediction.
The conference follows recent Australian geohazards such as the Thredbo disaster, which claimed 18 lives, and earthquakes in Western Australia and Tasmania.
Geohazard experts say the recent rumbles at Derby, Western Australia, (magnitude 6.0) and Tasmania (4.0), and the building collapses at Thredbo resulting from a land 'slump', are examples of regular geohazards which result in damage and loss of life.
The growing awareness through research of the incidence of Tsunami waves that have impinged on the Australian coastline will be addressed in three of the 30 papers being given at the conference.
Keynote speakers will be Professors Dan Abrams from Illinios and Tom Paulay from New Zealand. Professor Paulay will discuss simplicity and confidence for seismic design and Professor Abrams will speak on earthquake loss assessment in the USA.
University of Queensland academics Professor Alan Rix and associate Professor Peter Mora will present papers on the shortcomings of Japanese disaster management bureaucracy and research developments in the prediction of earthquakes, using the QUAKES supercomputing capability.
University Seismologist and convenor Russell Cuthbertson says the conference 'will both update and educate professionals who are involved in planning and mitigating the effects and the likelihood of occurrence of geohazards in Australia.'
'Urban planners, insurers and developers are becoming increasingly aware of the need incorporate geohazard risk estimates in developing Australia's infrastructure, such as dams, coastal and marine development, energy delivery conduits, urban development and planning,' he said.
Manufacturers of electronic components, communications, or emergency management equipment interested in taking part in the trade display can contact Mr Cuthbertson on (07) 3365-4783 .
Note: Media representatives are welcome to attend the conference, but are asked to contact Russell Cuthbertson of QUAKES on (07) 3365-4783 or fax (07) 3365-7347 in advance. He can also facilitate requests for interviews with experts on topics such as: Australian Earthquakes; Risk of Tsunami to the Australian coastline; Landslides and seismic stability of hillslopes; Building codes for earthquake resistant design; Research at QUAKES and SRC, Seismic vulnerability of Australian cities and Developments in Australian seismic monitoring networks.
Department of Emergency Services information is available from Ms Sam Keegan on (07) 3247-5062.
