UI student's work contributes to earthquake response

One example is the work done by Emma Mankin, a UI senior and geoscience major who will graduate in December. Mankin processed radar imagery, or interferograms, from a 6.9 magnitude quake that struck Indonesia in August 2018. She then used this imagery to produce a model of the earthquake and where it was located. The USGS used this model directly to update its predictions of ground shaking and earthquake impact that were incorporated into its disaster-response systems.

"Emma's rapid work on the Indonesia earthquake directly contributed to the operational analysis of a global earthquake," Barnhart says. "Her contributions improved earthquake impact estimates for that event and helped to further demonstrate that these satellite approaches can provide actionable information that benefits society."