Title:
Earthquake Science: Causes, Impacts, and Community Preparedness in the Modern Era

Authors:
Dr. Robb Shawe, USA

Abstract:

Earthquakes remain among the most damaging natural hazards, with impacts governed by local geology, the built environment, and preparedness. This review links core seismology concepts—fault mechanics, wave propagation, and modern monitoring—to community-level risk reduction. Analyzing three U.S. events (1906 San Francisco, 1964 Alaska, 1994 Northridge), distilled lessons for code updates, drills, and public communication. The outline advances in dense sensing, fibre-optic systems, and intelligent detection, and discusses how deterministic (NDSHA) and probabilistic (PSHA) approaches can be combined for planning. The result is a practical framework for translating science into policy actions that reduce casualties and infrastructure losses.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.51505/ijaemr.2025.1516