Newswise — In the wake of the magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck New York on Friday, April 5, James Gaherty, a seismologist at Northern Arizona University, is available to provide expert commentary.

James Gaherty can share insights on:

  • The frequency with which earthquakes have previously occurred in the Northeast
  • Why this earthquake happened
  • The likelihood that another Northeast earthquake may happen again soon
  • How the region is and is not prepared for future high-magnitude earthquakes
  • What individuals and organizations can do to protect themselves and their property from earthquake damage in the future
  • Why earthquakes are still more likely to occur in the Pacific Northwest and California than in other regions of the United States

About James Gaherty
James Gaherty is a professor in the School of Earth and Sustainability at Northern Arizona University, where he teaches earthquake seismology and regional tectonics, among other subjects. He has been awarded more than $20 million in grants to conduct seismic surveys of tectonic plates, to research the structure of the mantle in the South Pacific and more. Gaherty is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and serves as an associate editor of the AAAS journal Science Advances. He received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University, his master’s degree from the University of Michigan and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Selected news commentary
Is the U.S. ready for a mega-earthquake? | CBS News
Earthquake 101 | The Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC
East Coast quake: A seismologist explains | CBS News

 

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