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Abstract

Geologic hazards put the lives and property of humans at risk. To mitigate such risks, countries have developed and implemented alerting systems that can warn people to take timely protective actions. Canada’s geological context creates a risk of large earthquakes along its western provinces due to Cascadia subduction, and along the northern and eastern territories and provinces, mainly due to glacial rebound. In response to this risk, Canada is developing an earthquake early warning system (EEWS). Using the same foundation as the USGS’s ShakeAlert. Canada’s EEWS calculates the magnitude (energy released) and intensity (amount of shaking) of each event recorded. An alert gets sent once pre-determined thresholds for magnitude and intensity are met. Having the public take protective actions (such as drop, cover, and hold on) once they receive an alert is imperative to the success of the system.The heart of our research is how the public understands earthquake intensity and magnitude. We investigate this focus from three directions: Historical–Documenting the conceptual development of earthquake intensity and magnitude, then creating a historical narrative to teach these concepts. Linguistics–The language used when talking about earthquakes, earthquake intensity, and magnitude, by the public on news and social media platforms. Socio-cultural–The state of seismicity education in Canada, how that education has developed through time, and how it compares to the contexts of other seismically active regions around the world. This presentation builds an argument for the three approaches and delineates the products they will yield.