Kerry Sieh

Kerry Sieh is an American geologist and seismologist known for pioneering the field of paleoseismology. He became famous for his extensive research on the San Andreas Fault system in California. By excavating trenches across the fault, he was able to reconstruct the multi-millennial history of large earthquakes in the region.

Kerry Sieh studied the San Andreas Fault by physically excavating deep trenches across the fault line. This technique, known as paleoseismology, allowed him to examine layers of sediment displaced by past earthquakes. Through carbon dating and soil analysis, he successfully reconstructed the timeline of major seismic events over thousands of years.

By studying the San Andreas Fault, Kerry Sieh successfully reconstructed the multi-millennial history of large earthquakes in California. His research helped identify the average recurrence intervals for major "Big One" earthquakes along the southern San Andreas. His work proved that these massive seismic events occur more regularly than previously thought.

Later in his career, Kerry Sieh shifted his focus to Southeast Asia to study the region's complex tectonic plate boundaries. He served as the director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore. There, he applied his paleoseismology techniques to study the dangerous fault lines responsible for the region's devastating tsunamis and earthquakes.