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Subduction Zones Located in Developing Countries |
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Understanding Earth systems |
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Working Group on Subduction Zones Located in Developing Countries
has been started during the IASPEI/IAGA Joint Scientific Assembly in Hanoi, 2001 under the support from IUGG. This has been motivated by the fact that many developing countries are located above major subduction zones with consequent seismic and volcanic hazards. Scientists in these countries need to understand the nature of the subduction process and the way in which, e. g. changes in the configuration of the subducted slab affect the character of the earthquake distribution and the chemistry of volcanoes.
However, such scientific studies are difficult to carry out because of the very limited infrastructure and emphasis on direct hazard. There would be major benefit in getting Earth scientists together from a range of developing countries so that they can pool their expertise and help to create their own understanding of the problems they face, rather than being dependent on studies carried out by others. Therefore the creation of a Working Group on Subduction Zone studies that involves scientists from developing countries in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and South America was proposed. The name of the Working Group was agreed upon, i.e. Working Group on Subduction Zones Located in Developing Countries in order not to exclude scientists from developed countries interested in studies on subduction zones in developing countries to join the activity within the new Working Group.
The goal would be to encourage scientists from these developing countries to investigate and (better) understand the Earth system beneath their countries, with the aim of providing an effective scientific basis for minimising the impact of seismic and volcanic hazards. Therefore, the Working Group would need to involve both seismologists and volcanologists, and would need to be jointly sponsored by IASPEI, IAVCEI and other Associations in the belief that this would be a very suitable activity for financial support from the Union fund for Inter-Association activities related to developing countries. |
