The medal knows an excellent contributions to help you practical geophysics and unselfish venture for the look

Keiiti Aki

Keiiti Aki is actually approved the newest 2004 William Bowie Medal in the AGU Slip Conference Honors Ceremony, that was held into , during the Bay area, Ca.

Citation

Kei Akis scientific studies have expanded the fresh frontiers from seismology having 50 years. He developed the fresh new digital handling out-of seismic study in order to infer Planet framework and you will characteristics of one’s earthquake supply. The majority of that which we learn about higher earthquakes comes after away from his works.

He was the first to ever size seismic second (for the 1964 Niigata earthquake); Aki moment possess since the changed Richter magnitude as the simple size regarding earthquake dimensions. The guy discovered the essential scaling laws and regulations to have seismic spectra you to solved inconsistencies certainly one of some other magnitude balances, and he suggested physical type earthquakes for heterogeneous fault rupture. This functions provided notably so you can both very first knowledge of the latest rupture processes together with standard understanding of strong surface motions.

He elucidated the latest sprinkling and attenuation techniques you to definitely control the newest propagation regarding higher-frequency seismic swells, from which the guy derived the fresh new tricks for computing earthquake dimensions, sprinkling distributions, and you may built-in attenuation variables. He displayed, including, the inherent attenuation must drop-off at large frequencies.

He created of several book strategies for describing regions of seismic swells, including totally free-oscillation breaking, Gaussian beams, and you will boundary integral tips. In each case, he with his college students properly put such solutions to extract the latest particular advice away from seismograms.

He developed traveling-big date tomography as an easy way to learn lithospheric build beneath thicker seismic arrays, posting seminal records nearly a decade in advance of its widespread application so you can in the world seismology. The guy depending the seismological views to the eruptive procedure, including the relationship out-of seismicity and you may harmonic tremor so you can magma injections and you may eruption. He seen blame-area directed surf and made use of its propagation functions so you can constrain the newest depth and suppleness of one’s destroy areas doing defects.

Just like the unbelievable that abbreviated listing might sound (a lot more subjects can easily be additional), it doesn’t show Keis real effect into the geoscience people. He actually authored the book Decimal Seismology, the absolute most important textbook and reference guidelines on reputation for industry, he coauthored with Paul Richards when you look at the 1980.

As the a teacher and you may advisor, the guy entrained of a lot brilliant college students in the journey knowing the fresh productive Environment, producing over 50 Ph.D.s whom today reside secret positions from inside the seismology around the globe. Their victory into the guiding young boffins stems to some extent about breadth off his knowledge, as well as of his remarkable private features-appeal, laughs, and you may a-deep regard with the equilibrium and you will poetry of pure industry.

Keis silent leadership within the seismology enjoys demonstrated the brand new subtlety and stamina off unselfish cooperation inside the browse. He has held of numerous ranks: president of your Seismology Part of AGU, chairman of your own Seismological Area off America, sofa of your own NAS Committee for the Seismology.

However, his most readily useful management completion is producing the fresh Southern California Quake Cardio in the 1991. As the founding manager, Kei articulated an eyesight having SCEC where in fact the assessment because of the disciplinary working organizations might be woven with her towards the a network-level ‘grasp design to possess quake hazard and you may chance during the Southern area California. The property owner-design build contributed to of a lot enhances in seismic risk studies, including the incorporation from GPS research to your long-title quake anticipating, and it continues to book this new expanding SCEC cooperation.

Specific boffins loom thus high in their industries that people must person of William Bowie Medal, is the most our very own beasts.

Impulse

William Bowie, immediately after just who new Bowie medal is called, was disturb by seeking from seismologists in the early 1920s that earthquakes is generally taking place within depths of almost 1,000 km, as the he was located in an unified arena of isostasy, in which the Earths indoor is within hydrostatic harmony below the 100-km dense crust.