What earthquakes from the past tell us about the risks of today
On Friday seismologist Donat Fäh from ETH Zurich was awarded the 2014 cogito Prize. He and his interdisciplinary team had been conducting fresh research into the disastrous earthquake that struck Basel in 1356.
On Friday, 26 September 2014, the external pagecogito Foundation awarded the 2014 cogito Prize to Donat Fäh, a seismologist for the Swiss Seismological Service and a professor at ETH Zurich, at its annual awards ceremony. Professor Fäh had been working on a fresh analysis of the earthquake that hit Basel in 1356. The ceremony was held at the University of Zurich and the award comes with CHF 50,000 in prize money.
Interdisciplinary research into earthquakes
On 18 October 1356 the ground beneath the city of Basel and the surrounding area started to shake in what would be the strongest earthquake Switzerland has ever experienced to date. Buildings collapsed and it took a long time to extinguish the fires caused by the tremors.
Fortunately, many of Basel’s inhabitants had fled the city after a foreshock in the afternoon – before the main earthquake struck during the night.
As far as cogito prizewinner Donat Fäh is concerned, it is clear that investigating historical earthquakes is relevant to analysing the seismic risks of today. Very little research had previously been conducted into the Basel earthquake, but this has changed in the past few years thanks to Professor Fäh, along with an interdisciplinary team and some new approaches to research. Historians and archaeologists joined forces to interpret the historical documents from the time. They have also been working alongside seismologists, geologists and civil engineers to analyse 14th century building structures and the types of damage caused, using this as a basis for gauging the strength of the earthquake.
The cogito Foundation praised the project for its exemplary way of showing how completely different disciplines working together can produce a synergetic effect and reveal new approaches to fundamental research into earthquake mitigation. “The combination of different knowledge cultures and the interdisciplinary cooperation led to a revision of known historical sources, from which a large and unexpected historical and archaeological database has emerged in Basel,” said Donat Fäh.
Donat Fäh
Donat Fäh studied environmental physics at ETH Zurich, specialising in geophysics. His thesis focused on the numerical simulation of earthquakes and local seismic risk analysis. After spending several years researching at the University of Trieste, he joined the Swiss Seismological Service at ETH Zurich in 1994 and has been head of the Earthquake Hazard and Risk Assessment unit since 1997. His team’s activities include performing risk analyses, investigating historical earthquakes in Switzerland and producing numerical models of earthquakes.
Note
unforeSeeable – Earthquakes in Switzerland
Switzerland is shaken up by local earthquakes around 500 to 800 times a year. Only ten or so of these are strong enough for people to feel them, but for the Swiss Seismological Service at ETH Zurich they provide important information for assessing seismic risk. To mark its 100th anniversary, the Swiss Seismological Service is showcasing its work at the focusTerra museum in an exhibition entitled “unforeSeeable – Earthquakes in Switzerland”, which guides visitors through Switzerland’s earthquake history.
6 September to 30 November 2014, focusTerra museum
Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free admission
cogito prize-giving 2014
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Members of the cogito Foundation Council with the prize winner. (Photos: Comet Photoshopping GmbH/Dieter Enz) -
Numerous participants at the cogito prize-giving ceremony for Prof Donat Fäh. -
Handing over the honour: (from the left) Donat Fäh, winner of the 2014 cogito Prize, Christof Aegerter, President of the cogito Foundation, and Irene Aegerter, Executive Vice President of the cogito Foundation.
