Earthquake hazard in East Tennessee: What could happen here?

Posted at 4:20 pm March 7, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Robert Hatcher

Could we have a major earthquake in East Tennessee? Do we live in an active seismic zone?

These and other questions will be addressed by Robert Hatcher, University of Tennessee distinguished scientist emeritus, in a lecture, “Living with East Tennessee Geology and Earthquakes,” in Oak Ridge in April.

The lecture is scheduled from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in the University of Tennessee Arboretum Auditorium at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Hatcher was a faculty member for 32 years in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Science Alliance Center of Excellence at the University of Tennessee, a press release said. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Vanderbilt University and his doctorate at the University of Tennessee.

He was a UT distinguished scientist and professor of structural geology and tectonics. Some of his current research focuses on prehistoric earthquakes in the East Tennessee seismic zone, with support from the U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program, the press release said.

In addition to his teaching and research, Hatcher has worked as a geologist for an oil company and has also served on the faculties of Clemson University, Florida State University, and the University of South Carolina, the press release said.

Hatcher’s primary research goal is better understanding of the evolution of continental crust, mostly through the study of mountain chains and ancient crust. Most of his research has been concentrated in the southern and central Appalachians, but large amounts of time have been spent visiting and studying other mountain chains and older continental crusts, the release said. His primary interest is in the processes that generate large faults, the causes of intraplate seismicity, and determination of recurrence intervals for intraplate earthquakes

The April 11 program is a free program sponsored by the UT Arboretum Society, Strata-G, Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, and the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center. No registration is required. For more information contact Michelle Campanis at (865)483-7277 or [email protected].

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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