Press Release: Tuesday - April 23, 2002
The University of Memphis/FedEx Send Aftershock Studies Team to New York

The University of Memphis Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) has sent two staff members to upstate New York to assist in aftershock studies performed by the Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismic Network at Columbia University. According to the US Geological Survey, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred about 15 miles southwest of Plattsburgh,New York at 6:50 EDT, Apr 20, 2002 and was felt from Cleveland, Ohio to Maine and Baltimore, Maryland. Roads, bridges, and residential structures were damaged in the epicentral area, however most damage was limited to cracked walls and toppled chimneys. A few roads and bridges were severely damaged. Several aftershocks have occurred and more are likely, however no damaging aftershocks are expected. Aftershocks studies involve the deployment of seismic stations to provide precise information on the orientation and size of active faults. CERI has an international reputation for field deployments of this nature. With the help of FedEx, CERI will ship 4, portable, state-of-the-art, solar-charged seismic stations to assist in these studies. CERI's field team will be Jim Bollwerk, Seismic Network Engineer, and Chris Watson, Digital Systems Support Staff. Seismologists from the US Geological Survey, Lamont Doherty and CERI will analyze the data gathered in this field deployment.

For further scientific details on the New York earthquake see:
Lamont Doherty website.
CERI

For information on previous CERI/FedEx aftershock studies see:
MAEC/CERI Response Team in India

Information Services
The Center for Earthquake Research and Information
University of Memphis
901-678-2007
fax 901-678-4734
www.ceri.memphis.edu