PRESS RELEASE – USGS to Host Evansville Earthquake Program
Will include special reports on China and Illinois earthquakes
On Wednesday, November 5, the US Geological Survey will host a progress report on an ongoing project to map earthquake hazards in the Evansville area. The event, which will be open to the
public, will begin at 3:00 pm. It will be held in the Browning Room at the Evansville Central Library,
200 Southeast Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Evansville.
Dr. Oliver Boyd, of the US Geological Survey in Memphis, Tenn., will show preliminary results
of the earthquake hazards mapping completed to date. He will summarize what has been learned about
why some of the Evansville area has more (or less) earthquake risk exposure than others.
The program also will include presentations about two recent earthquakes in the news as well as
the update regarding the Evansville Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project.
Dr. Zhenming Wang of the Kentucky Geological Survey will give a presentation on his recent
visit to the area affected by the magnitude 7.9 May 12, 2008, Szechuan, China earthquake. Dr. Wang
visited about two weeks after that earthquake occurred. He will show pictures of earthquake damage and
describe the impact of that earthquake to the region.
Bob Bauer of the Illinois State Geological Survey will give a presentation on the magnitude 5.2
April 18, 2008, Mt. Carmel, Ill., earthquake. That event was felt throughout the central US and did minor
damage in several counties in Illinois and Indiana.
Dr. Jennifer Haase of Purdue University will give a status report on the geologic mapping in the
Evansville area, and Dr. Drew Andrews of the Kentucky Geological Survey will report on the earthquake
hazards mapping being done in the area.
After the presentation a panel discussion will be held. The panel will include all the speakers as
well as Christine Martin of the Southwest Indiana Disaster Recovery Business Alliance and Dr. John
Steinmetz, Director of the Indiana Geological Survey. All panelists and presenters will be available to
meet informally afterward for continued discussion.
The program will be of special interest to those involved in emergency planning and response,
insurance, business continuity planning, asset management, business operations, strategic business
planning, communications, finance and lending, wealth management, venture capital, portfolio
management, and economic development. The general public is also welcome.
There is no cost to attend. However, registration is requested to best accommodate those who
attend. Please contact Christine Martin at drc@swidrcc.org or 812-425-8401 to register.