Durham experts hope to predict quakes

Apr 7 2009 The Journal

DURHAM scientists are travelling to Italy in a bid to predict future shocks after an earthquake killed at least 90 people.

Experts will use the latest technology to study the L’Aquila fault, thought to be the cause of the 6.3-magnitude quake which made thousands homeless.

The earthquake destroyed up to 15,000 buildings in and around the city of L’Aquila, which has a population of 70,000 and lies about 60 miles north east of Rome in the Apennine mountains.

Professor Bob Holdsworth, head of Earth Sciences at Durham University, said: “This is a region that has been pushed up a geologically short time ago and is now collapsing under its own weight.

“It is pulling the earth’s crust, stretching and breaking it, causing a lot of earthquakes.” He said the Italian authorities had not invested enough in making buildings earthquake-resistant, despite their frequency, unlike the Japanese.

The powerful earthquake struck in the middle of night flattening whole blocks of buildings, injuring hundreds and making tens of thousands homeless.

Ambulances screamed through the medieval city of L’Aquila as firefighters with search dogs worked feverishly to reach people trapped in fallen buildings, including a dormitory where half a dozen university students were believed still inside.

In the historic centre of the city, a wall of the 13th century Santa Maria di Collemaggio church collapsed and the bell tower of the Renaissance San Bernadino church also fell. The 16th century castle housing the Abruzzo National Museum was damaged.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency, freeing up federal funds to deal with the disaster, and cancelled a visit to Russia to deal with the quake crisis.

Condolences poured in from President Barack Obama and Pope Benedict XVI.

The last major quake to hit central Italy was a 5.4-magnitude shock that killed 27 in 2002.