Contact: Sammy McDavid
Golden Triangle residents might not know about the New Madrid Seismic Zone--and even those who do--may want to hear Greg Hempen's Friday [Feb. 14] address at Mississippi State.
A geophysicist and geological engineer, Hampen's university presentation will deal with the 150-mile fault system considered the most active seismic area in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.
Free and open to all, the program begins at noon in 102 Harned Hall. MSU's geosciences department and its student chapter of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists are sponsors.
"Hello??? Are You Ready for the Big One" will be the title of Hempen's remarks. In addition to sharing the latest research information, he will cover appropriate preparatory actions members of the public should consider.
In addition to northern Mississippi, the New Madrid system poses potential threats to parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Tennessee. Most famously, the fault line situated between three and 15 miles beneath the Earth's surface caused a series of earthquakes centered around New Madrid, Mo., in the early 1800s, the most powerful of which is estimated to have been a Category 7 (with 8 generally being the scale's top).
Hempen currently holds the title of Richard H. Jahns Distinguished Lecturer in Engineering Geology of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists. For more about the association, visit www.aegweb.org.
A geophysicist with St. Louis-based UPS Corp. and doctoral graduate of the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology), he has received several honors for his research. The Jahns Lectureship is the most recent.
Other information on Hempen's program is available from Sarah Radencic at 662-268-1032 or spr67@msstate.edu.