International Workshop on Seismology, Seismic Hazard and Tsunami Early Warning

The Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences is realizing international training courses in the field of seismology and seismic hazard assessment and Tsunami Early Warning. These training courses aim at promoting training and know-how transfer, especially on "SEISMOLOGY AND SEISMIC HAZARD ASSESSMENT AND TSUNAMI EARLY WARNING"
The disastrous consequences of destructive earthquakes and tsunamis place a heavy burden on many societies and their economies. In order to avoid or at least to mitigate the negative effects of such events a thorough scientific knowledge of their geological and geophysical causes, their structural, kinematics and dynamic characteristics and destructive effects as well as a developed capability to monitor and to analyse them is indispensable. The vulnerability of human societies and related human and economic losses due to earthquakes and tsunamis are steadily growing as a consequence of rapid population growth and urbanization. Accordingly, improved risk assessment and effective disaster mitigation measures are prerequisites to ensure sustainable development in earthquake-prone countries.
We will organise a international workshop in cooperation between Germany and Fiji for the countries of the western Pacific in July 2010. The training course is proposed and sponsored by the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany. The team of lecturers from the GFZ, are supported by lecturers from the region.

The 2-week workshop will be held in July 2010 (12.7.- 23.7.2010) at the Mineral Resources Department is the National Geological Survey and Mining Organisation of the Republic of Fiji Islands. The primary goal of this course is to provide training to personnel from institutions who are responsible for Seismic Information and Tsunami Early Warning in their country and who work as “Officers on Duty”. Focus of lectures and computer supported training will be on
- seismology (wave propagation, earthquake location, magnitude determination,)
- robust methods in seismic data processing and computer aided (automatic) seismogram analysis
- rupture modelling and tsunami generation
- tsunami wave propagation and tsunami modelling, verification and detection
- GPS methods used in rupture determination and tsunami verification
- Seismic Hazard and Tsunami Hazard Assessment

Our aim is to foster a co-operation between countries, institutions and the participants to work together in the field of real-time seismology and tsunami early warning. We plan to explain and teach on the different components of the tsunami early warning with lectures and exercises.