Earthquakes and Hot Rocks: USU's Science Unwrapped Explores Energy Transformations Friday, April 12

Images of tilting buildings and widespread damage to homes and businesses from this month’s 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan are sobering reminders of the destructive power of these startling geological events.

“We associate earthquakes with seismic waves and the resulting destruction because that is what we can feel and see,” says Utah State University geoscientist Alexis Ault.

But energy during an earthquake, Ault says, is also transformed into high temperature on a fault or goes into breaking rocks — an example of the first law of thermodynamics: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can be transferred from one form or another.

“These energy transformations are mostly hidden from us, but they are powerful because they allow an earthquake rupture to propagate,” she says.

Ault, associate professor in USU’s Department of Geosciences, will discuss this phenomenon at USU’s Science Unwrapped public outreach program. She will present “Energy Transformations: Earthquakes and Hot Rocks” at 7 p.m. Friday, April 12, in the Emert Auditorium, Room ESLC 130, of the Eccles Science Learning Center.

Admission is free and all ages are welcome.

Hands-on learning activities led by USU student groups and community volunteers, along with refreshments, follow Ault’s presentation. The talk will also be recorded and posted on the Science Unwrapped website within a week of the in-person event.

Directions and parking information are available on the program’s website.

Ault’s talk is the seventh and final presentation in Science Unwrapped’s 2023-24 “Building on Basics” series, which explores varied scientific principles with exciting examples and illustrations from diverse disciplines. Science Unwrapped will return Friday, Sept. 13, with the new series “Joining Forces,” which focuses on interdisciplinary research endeavors.

“This academic year’s approach has been to examine basic scientific principles, and how they fit into varied scientific disciplines,” says Brynja Kohler, Science Unwrapped chair, associate dean in the College of Science and professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. “We’ve had a wonderful group of scientists speaking at this year’s events, and we’re very excited to hear Dr. Ault’s talk.”

Established in 2009, Science Unwrapped is hosted by USU’s College of Science.

For more information, call 435-797-3517, visit the Science Unwrapped website or view the ‘Science Unwrapped at USU’ Facebook page.