2012 William B. Joyner Memorial Lecture: Building Near Faults
Jonathan D. Bray
UC Berkeley
- Date & Time
- Location
- Building 3, Room 3240 (main USGS conference room)
- Host
- Tom Holzer
- Summary
Designing facilities very near active faults presents unique challenges that require an interdisciplinary approach. Sound engineering and earth science principles can be employed to address the hazards associated with surface fault rupture and near-fault ground shaking. Robust procedures exist for evaluating the consequences of permanent and transient ground movements. Whereas their use in designing systems to accommodate ground movements due to a variety of phenomena is widely accepted, their use in areas containing surface traces of active faults is often questioned, even when the anticipated ground movements are minimal. Active faults cannot always be avoided, nor should they be avoided when their hazard is far less than other hazards. We can live with the earth's faults.