geohazard

U.S. Representative John Carney visits UD, CEOE

Date

U.S. Rep. John Carney visited the University of Delaware’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes to talk about the University’s ongoing coastal resiliency research and outreach in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE) and administered programs as part of a weeklong climate change tour of Delaware.

Milford (MIDE) Seismic Station

The seismic instruments located at the Milford, DE location were adopted by DGS from the Earthscope Transportable Array, which consists of a network of 400 high-quality, portable broadband seismometers that are being placed in temporary sites across the United States. DGS adopted two of these Earthscope stations, P60A in Greenville, DE and Q61A in Milford, DE. This program provided an outstanding opportunity for Delaware to enhance its seismic monitoring capabilities in the future, and upgrade current antiquated equipment.

Greenville (GEDE) Seismic Station

The seismic instruments located at the Greenville, DE location were adopted by DGS from the Earthscope Transportable Array, which consists of a network of 400 high-quality, portable broadband seismometers that are being placed in temporary sites across the United States. DGS adopted two of these Earthscope stations, P60A in Greenville, DE and Q61A in Milford, DE. This program provided an outstanding opportunity for Delaware to enhance its seismic monitoring capabilities in the future, and upgrade current antiquated equipment.

Mapping Tsunami Inundation for the U.S. East Coast

This project will assess tsunami hazard from the above mentioned and other relevant tsunami sources recently studied in the literature and model the corresponding tsunami inundation in affected US East coast communities. We will combine ocean scale simulations of transoceanic tsunami sources, such as Lisbon 1755 like or Puerto Rico Trench co-seismic events, and CVV collapse, with regional scale simulations of these events, along with the regional scale SMF events, in order to establish the relative degree of hazards for East Coast communities. Detailed inundation studies will be conducted for highest-risk East Coast communities, and results of these studies will be used to construct a first-generation of tsunami inundation maps for the chosen communities.

The Earthquake of August 23, 2011

Delaware and surrounding areas experienced an earthquake event on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 23, 2011. According to the US Geological Survey, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck at 1:51 p.m. in central Virginia, in an area referred to as “the Central Virginia Seismic Zone” because of its relatively active earthquake activity for the region. The epicenter was located five miles south-southwest of Mineral, Virginia, with the quake was focused at a depth of 6 km (3.7 miles) below the surface (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/se082311a.html). The Virginia Geological Survey reports that this is the largest Virginia earthquake known in historic times. A few small aftershocks have occurred in the hours afterward.

IS7 The Delaware Geological Survey

IS7 is a foldout brochure that briefly discusses the background and current activities of the DGS. Specifically, the following major programs are listed: Geology, Hydrology, Cartographic Information, Geologic Hazards, Seismograph Network, Outer Continental Shelf, Mineral Resources, Well Records and Sample Library, Publications, and Joint-funded Programs.

IS5 Earthquakes in Delaware

Delaware is not in a seismically active region but, even here, earthquakes occur because of sudden adjustments in the earth's crust. Even though such movements can be startling they yield important information about the behavior of the earth and the potential for future events. The Delaware Geological Survey continually monitors seismicity in the State because of both the scientific value of the information and to help address the concern of residents and other agencies over possible effects.

A Coastal Flood Monitoring System for Delaware

During the last two decades, storms such as Hurricanes Katrina and Ike along the Gulf of Mexico and Floyd and Hugo along the Atlantic Coast of the United States have resulted in significant loss of life, injuries, and property damages exceeding well over 100 billion dollars. Much of the damage associated with these and other tropical and extra-tropical weather systems is associated with severe coastal flooding. The purpose of this project is to develop a real-time coastal flood monitoring and warning system for the coastal communities in Kent County, Delaware. This system will serve as a prototype for similar early-warning systems, which may then be applied along the entire Delaware coast.