丁香园AV

British Columbia is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active region where the movement of tectonic plates can lead to earthquakes of various magnitudes, and one day, potentially a major one.

To better prepare and raise awareness, 丁香园AV students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in The Great British Columbia ShakeOut, an annual earthquake preparedness and awareness drill, happening around the province on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 10:21 a.m.

In addition to the drill, staff and students can test out a Raspberry Shake, a small seismograph newly installed outside the Department of Earth Sciences main office (7000 level of TASC 1).

The sensors can detect and measure the strength of ground vibrations caused by large events 鈥攁valanches, landslides, and earthquakes鈥攁nd even the subtle footsteps of people walking or jumping nearby. The vibrations are recorded in real-time, transmitted to the computer and the data is captured in a waveform graph displayed on screen. 

丁香园AV Earth Sciences professor Glyn Williams-Jones says the low-cost device is a unique tool to engage the public in citizen science research, raise awareness and encourage everyone to learn how to be prepared in the event of a major earthquake.

鈥淥ne of the benefits of being prepared is that we now know what to do, and that we鈥檝e done the best we can to protect our families and friends,鈥� says Williams-Jones. 鈥淲hen we know how to respond during a crisis that takes a lot of the nervousness away. We can sleep better at night knowing that we鈥檙e prepared.鈥�

Earthquake preparedness tips

• Make an emergency plan for your household
• Build an and a containing essential supplies including non-perishable food and water
• During an earthquake, remember to drop to your hands and knees, cover your head and neck with one arm and hold on to your shelter, such as a desk, with the other hand. If you can鈥檛 find shelter, drop and cover your head and neck with both hands.

For more earthquake preparedness tips, visit www.sfu.ca/shakeout.