Dr. Yawar Hussain, a research associate in applied seismology group led by Dr. Nadine Igonin in the Sustainable Earth Systems Sciences department, at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), recognized the need to educate students about the risks that increasing human-induced seismicity may pose to infrastructure.
In Texas, most human-induced seismicity is linked to wastewater injection from oil and gas operations. Notable events include a magnitude 5.2 earthquake near the city of Gardendale in 2022. Other sources, like hydraulic fracturing and enhanced oil recovery, have also triggered microquakes.
“Based events like these,” said Hussain, “including human-induced seismicity in risk mapping is a key tool for promoting greater preparedness and resilience.”
“In conversations with Professor Salvatore Martino and Dr. Hans-Balder Havenith, both leading experts in the field, each noted the strong need for this comprehensive risk mapping in the U.S., particularly in Texas.”
To this end, Hussain offered a non-credit seminar course on the topic. The objective was to introduce students from diverse disciplines to the fundamentals of earthquake seismology, with references to major historical earthquakes. The course featured an introduction to seismometers and included a guest lecture by Dr. John Ferguson. Students were also trained in using open-source tools and refining their data acquisition skills.
“To support a ‘learn-by-doing’ approach, two field activities were organized with students,” said Hussain. “In the first, seismic nodes were deployed at various locations across the campus. In the second, six seismic nodes were installed on different floors of UTD’s tallest building to conduct an experiment on building response.”
Students successfully deployed these sensors across various floors of the five-story Sciences Building, including the basement. The seismometers were left in place to continuously record ambient seismic noise at a 1000 Hz sampling rate. Moving forward, the resulting data will be processed using open-source tools designed for seismic resonance analysis.
Hussain said the students appreciated the unique mix of theory and real-time experience in the course. “Many enjoyed using the seismic sensors, selecting the sites on campus, and being able to refine their data acquisition skills.”
Katherine Guo, a junior majoring in physics, found the course particularly interesting due to its focus on earthquake science, damage assessment and the real-world applications of seismic monitoring.
“As a physics major, it seemed like a good hands-on activity that I could possibly apply in the future, in either featured research or in the industry.”
Katherine Guo, physics Junior
Hussain was encouraged by the students’ enthusiasm and said he remains optimistic about the future of the risk mapping efforts like the ones they undertook this semester.
“This fieldwork successfully brought together a diverse group of students who are excited about continuing to explore the science of earthquakes, specifically at the intersection of engineering and seismology.”
“It’s really meeting two needs. Firstly, to better establish seismological endeavors and the study of human-induced seismicity risk in Texas and to encourage students to consider entering the field to conduct further research on the issue.”
