Geologist explains connection between earthquakes and tsunamis
Geosciences professor talks to 700-WLW about evacuations in Hawaii
A University of Cincinnati geologist helped explain to 700-WLW listeners how earthquakes can create tsunamis that threaten people and property around the world.
UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Craig Dietsch was invited on the Eddie & Rocky Show to talk about the 8.8-magnitude quake that rattled Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on July 29, prompting tsunami warnings in coastal areas as far away as Japan, Hawaii and California.
“This one was way up the scale. The amount of energy released is incredible,“ said Dietsch, head of UC's Department of Geosciences.
Dietsch studies tectonics, among other topics, as head of UC's Department of Geosciences. He leads student field trips to study landscape evolution and other geological features across North America.
“The earthquake happened along a gigantic fault on the boundary of the Pacific Plate,“ Dietsch told 700-WLW. “When the plates get stuck, stresses build up and get suddenly released and you have an earthquake.“
Japan and other Pacific countries called for evacuations as a precaution, but the resulting tsunami was not as powerful as feared, Dietsch said.
Listen to 700-WLW's Eddie & Rocky.
Featured image at top: UC geosciences Professor Craig Dietsch leads students on a field trip in California. Photo/Michael Miller
UC geosciences students examine vertical layers of sedimentary rock lifted up by plate tectonics in California. Photo/Michael Miller
Related Stories
Recent advances may speed time to endometriosis diagnosis
March 16, 2026
The average time to clinical diagnosis of endometriosis is nine years. Definitive diagnosis of the disease is difficult, and until recently, has relied on laparoscopic surgery. Now, as Medscape recently reported, novel clinical recommendations, advanced diagnostic tools and research into inflammation and immune responses, are bringing promise that women with endometriosis will find relief sooner and without surgery, according to experts, including Katie Burns, PhD, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine associate professor.
Position-specific helmets may not improve protection
March 16, 2026
Local 12 highlighted a new study by biomedical engineering researchers that looked at how well new football helmets protected players from impacts that can cause concussions.
UC biologist talks about 'pearmageddon'
March 16, 2026
WLWT talks to UC biologist and Department Head Theresa Culley about invasive, nonnative Callery pear trees that are spreading across Ohio forests after they were introduced by landscapers more than 50 years ago.