CSUB geology professor studies recent earthquakes
Feb. 8—Not long after the earthquake that violently shook Turkey and Syria, Matt Herman sprung into action, starting on the early part of studying it as a Cal State Bakersfield assistant professor of geology and a collaborator with the United States Geological Survey.
Herman was in Denver when he learned of the initial 7.8-magnitude earthquake during the late afternoon of Sunday, and the early morning of Monday in Turkey.
Herman, who has done previous studies on earthquakes for the USGS as part of an Intergovernmental Personnel Act agreement, had a quick thought to travel to Golden, Colo., site of the USGS, but family came first. His 2-year-old daughter, Evie, was battling an ear infection.
Still, since the devastating earthquake and following aftershocks, Herman has been putting in 10- to 12-hour workdays, making sure his course lessons include the recent events, while also providing useful information for the USGS.
"Within five minutes of getting the email, I was sitting down to do some of the standard things I do after an earthquake," said Herman, who has been working with the USGS over the past 10 years and subscribes to its email and notifications service. "... It was a complicated earthquake over time."
Herman added that the earthquake "reveals a lot about the seismic possibilities in transition zones," or an area where it's not exactly clear which plates are interacting.
Herman, who is in his third year at CSUB, has been involved in several earthquake studies, including the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. Yet, he acknowledged that this appears to be the deadliest earthquake, as various news media have reported more than 12,000 deaths.
The earthquake and more than 100 aftershocks have resulted in millions in need of aid.
The war in Syria, the civil unrest in Turkey, the lack of quality buildings and the cold temperatures have resulted in what is "almost the worst-case scenario" for an earthquake, he said.
Herman's studies involve the potential for aftershocks and how big they can be.
"What does this tell us about the nature of earthquakes in Turkey?" he said of what he studies. "But also can we take lessons from this to learn elsewhere?"
Herman also plotted an animation of seismic activity in Turkey that the USGS used on social media.
A big part of Herman's life includes this reality: Where there are faults, there is potential for an earthquake. So that certainly applies to California, he said.
His courses at CSUB include National Hazards, Physical Geology and Geophysics.
"This earthquake is an amazing case study for all three of those classes," he said.
Liberty Rasmussen, a CSUB senior and geology major, said Herman explained how the aftershocks occurred after the initial earthquake due to the change in the stress of rocks.
Rasmussen, a Liberty High graduate, is grateful to receive such a timely lesson and unique perspective from Herman.
"I really enjoy it because you can tell he is super knowledgeable and passionate about what he does," Rasmussen said. "Speaking about real-world events kind of brings it all together from a theoretical sense into a real-world sense."
