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CNN Live Saturday

Interview With Seismologist Frank Revetta

Aired April 20, 2002 - 17:19   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Broken windows, cracks in the foundation, and a few shaken-up folks. But no injuries or deaths, thankfully, from the earthquake that rumbled through northeastern New York today. The 5.1 magnitude quake was the strongest in the region since 1983, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. And officials there say the quake was centered about 15 miles southwest of Plattsburgh, New York. They describe it as a moderate earthquake, and my guest says a quake of this magnitude would normally hit every 100 years or so.

Frank Revetta is a professor at the Potsdam Seismic Network at the State University of New York. And thanks for joining us again, Frank, today. Good see you.

FRANK REVETTA, SEISMOLOGIST: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, usually something of this magnitude would take place once every 100 years. But you reminded us earlier that about 20 years ago we had something pretty sizable, as well. Does this mean that we in -- at least in the Northeast -- need to get a little more comfortable with the fact that earthquakes might be happening more regularly?

REVETTA: It could, because this earthquake happened only 20 years after the last one, and so there seem to be the big earthquakes seem to be occurring more frequently now. We had an earthquake in 1944 that had a magnitude around 6, then we had one in 1983 with a magnitude of 5.1. This one is 20 years later, and it has a 5.1 magnitude. So it seems like these bigger earthquakes might be occurring more frequently than usual.

WHITFIELD: But I bet you seismologists such as yourself are going to be looking really closely now to figure out why this is happening. No real fault lines that you know of in that area, right?

REVETTA: That is true. There aren't any major fault lines here, like you have in California, that the earthquakes occur along. Up here, the earthquake are diffused in an area, and they don't line up along any particular faults.

WHITFIELD: So we're saying there is really no explanation at this point?

REVETTA: I think the cause of the earthquakes up here is really unknown at the present time. A lot more research has to be done to determine what is the cause of these earthquakes.

WHITFIELD: OK. So what are your predictions, if you're willing to make any? Are we closing in on less than 20 years when we might possibly see another one? Are you anticipating that this might be a sign of what's to come?

REVETTA: Well, what I would say is to come is after this earthquake this morning we're going to probably have some aftershocks, and they'll probably go on for a year or longer, you know.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

REVETTA: And then what happens after that, nobody knows for sure.

WHITFIELD: OK. Frank Revetta, thank you very much for joining us from Potsdam Seismic Network at the State University of New York. Thanks for that explanation.

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