Hawkes Team Receives $750,000

Andrea Hawkes, a UNCW professor of Geoscience, along with Professors Diego Melgar from the University of Oregon and Tina Dura from Virginia Tech, received a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to further their earthquake and tsunami research.

Their project is entitled "Collaborative Research: Constraining next-generation Cascadia earthquake and tsunami hazard scenarios through integration of high-resolution field data and geophysical models." 

Team members are also part of the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT) which was funded by NSF last year. CRESCENT unites scientists and fosters community partnerships, while diversifying the next generation of geoscience work force.

This new award supports Hawkes’ aim to delve deeper into tsunami hazards in the Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ), a region known for its significant seismic activity. By mapping ancient tsunami deposits and using advanced modeling techniques to simulate tsunami scenarios, they try to understand historical earthquake behaviors, with an emphasis on the impactful year 1700 earthquake. This research actively involves students and directly impacts public safety and preparedness by enhancing hazard maps, emergency plans and building codes. 

“This multi-university collaboration is a great example of how scientists use evidence-based approaches to gain deeper understanding that can ultimately help communities prepare for the impacts of natural disasters,” said Ken Halanych, executive director of the Center for Marine Science.

Hawkes underlined the pivotal importance of the project's outcomes.

"The results from this grant will help further refine earthquake rupture scenarios and tsunami inundation extents for previous and future potential Cascadia earthquakes and tsunamis." 

Moreover, the team’s collaboration with the Shoalwater Bay Tribe, pioneers of North America's first free-standing tsunami evacuation tower, underscores their dedication to community engagement and seismic risk education. Through this collaboration, they aim to enhance public awareness and bolster safety infrastructure.

This initiative represents a crucial investment in public safety and knowledge dissemination, made possible through the support of the NSF, said Hawkes. "We thank NSF for their support of our research to improve our understanding of the ever-present earthquake and tsunami hazard along the west coast of the US and Canada."