Christoph Grützner

The INQUA Summer School on Active Tectonics and Tectonic Geomorphology was held in Prague from 24-27 September, 2019. This summer school was run by INQUA‘s IFG EGSHaz as part of the TERPRO commission. The event was hosted by the Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dpt. Neotectonics and Thermochronology. Main organizer was IFG co-leader Petra Štěpančíková. We would also like to thank MSc. Jakub Stemberk, Monika Hladká, Jana Šreinová, the deputy director Dr. Filip Hartvich, and all the staff involved for their professionalism and warm hospitality. Overall, 50 participants and 14 lecturers from 25 countries participated in the summer school.

Dear colleagues,

It is with great sadness that we received note from the passing of our dear colleague Victor Hugo Gorduño Monroy.

Victor was a close friend to many of us and an outstanding person in the Mexican scientific community. He authored a great number of publications on the geology of Mexico, on tectonics, volcanism, and hazards. His work did not only advance geosciences, but also had huge impact on society. He was tireless in helping to raise the awareness for disasters and to promote geoscience in the public. We will never forget his enthusiasm and his dedication in the field.

He had the leading role in geosciences at the Michoacan University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo and taught hundreds of students during his career.

Victor organized the first PATA days outside Europe in November 2012 in Morelia in commemoration of the 1912 Acambay Earthquake, which was an absolute pleasure and a great success.

Our thoughts are with his family and with everyone who worked closely with him.

The Michoacan University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo released the following letter of condolence:

El día de hoy sufrimos la pérdida de una de nuestras más sólidas columnas institucionales. Informamos con profunda tristeza que el Dr. Víctor Hugo Garduño Monroy falleció esta mañana y con él perdimos a nuestro Líder Académico y Fundador de la Maestría en Geociencias y Planificación del Territorio y del Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. El Dr. Garduño fue un incansable investigador de la Geología de nuestro Estado y del Occidente de México. Formador profesional de centenares de estudiantes a nivel profesional y posgrado. Ganador de la Presea José María Morelos y Pavón y Primer Investigador en Obtener la Presea Vasco de Quiroga en nuestra querida Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo. Hoy se fue uno de los mejores investigadores de nuestra Universidad, de nuestro Estado y de nuestro País. Siempre será recordado por el cariño a su profesión, a sus estudiantes y compañeros. Descanse en Paz.

Today we have a lot of papers on historical events, some great classical paleoseismology studies, and seismic hazard stuff. Enjoy reading!

The Hokudan 2020 International Symposium on Active Faulting will take place from 13-17 January in Awaji City, Awaji Island, Japan. The symposium is held every five years. The 2020 event commemorates the 25th anniversary of the 1995 Kobe earthquake. All important information on this meeting is available here: https://home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/kojiok/hokudan2020.html

This event is supported by INQUA – the International Union for Quaternary Research and its TERPRO commission. For more information, please contact Koji Okumura (kojiok@hiroshima-u.ac.jp) or Shinji Toda (toda@irides.tohoku.ac.jp).

Deadline for abstract submission is 1 December, 2019.

During the 36th IGC in Delhi there will be a symposium on “31.2 Paleoseismology of the Frontal Himalayan Fold and Thrust Belt and Earthquake Hazards” in the Geohazards Theme 31. Abstract submission is free until 15^th Sept. 2019 and open until 15th Oct. 2019.

There will also be a field trip “Paleoseismology along the Foothill Zone of Central Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India” from 25-29 Feb. 2020, Field Trip Code NR013.

The mega-hot summer seems to be finally over (at least in Germany), and most of this season’s field work is probably done. So why not catch up with the latest papers on paleoseismology and related subjects? These are the latest papers:

The Seismological Society of America has currently three interesting calls for papers.

• BSSA Call for Papers: Special Issue on the 2019 Ridgecrest, California, Earthquake Sequence: https://www.seismosoc.org/bssa-call-for-papers/
• SRL Data Mine Focus Section: 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence: https://www.seismosoc.org/publications/calls-papers/srl-call-for-papers/
• SRL Call for Papers: Historical Seismograms: Challenges and Successes in Preservation, Digitization, and (Re)Analysis: https://www.seismosoc.org/publications/srl/call-for-papers-historical-seismograms-challenges-and-successes-in-preservation-digitization-and-reanalysis/

The Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford is currently recruiting a PDRA in Active Tectonics Research:

We seek to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Assistant to work closely with Professor Richard Walker as part of a broader consortium in the NERC-funded ‘Looking Into the Continents from Space’ project, whose principal aim is to provide insights into earthquake hazard and crustal deformation through the application of a range of remote-sensing, field-based, seismological, and modelling approaches. The post is co-funded by COMET, which is a world-leading centre for understanding tectonic and volcanic processes and hazards (comet.nerc.ac.uk). The PDRA will join a thriving group involved in remote-sensing and field-based research in the study of active faulting and natural hazards.
The post is based in the Department of Earth Sciences and will be overseen by Richard Walker, Barry Parsons and Philip England. The post will also involve close collaboration with scientists at the other partner institutions involved in COMET and LICS. The successful applicant will be responsible for the mapping and analysis of fault-based geomorphology using high-resolution satellite imagery and digital topography, supplemented with fieldwork in selected regions. The production of high-resolution digital topographic datasets through field-based, aerial, or satellite methods, forms an important component of the duties. They will also be expected to possess or to develop skills in measuring surface displacements through the matching of optical satellite imagery, and to support both tectonic and volcanic applications of high-resolution imagery and elevation data throughout COMET

Find more information here: https://my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.display_form?p_company=10&p_internal_external=E&p_display_in_irish=N&p_process_type=&p_applicant_no=&p_form_profile_detail=&p_display_apply_ind=Y&p_refresh_search=Y&p_recruitment_id=142106

or at the department website: https://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/vacancies/.

Application deadline is 9 September 2019.

This month’s list of papers includes a lot of work on (Central) Asia, New Zealand, and also some nice tsunami stories. Enjoy reading and – as always – please tell us in case we’ve missed something.

The next INQUA meeting on Paleoseismology, Archaeoseismology, and Active Tectonics (PATA Days) will be held in Hornitos, Chile, from 8-12 November, 2020. Download the 1st circular here (PDF, 400 kb).

See you all in Chile 2020!