Open AccessComment on “A strategy to rapidly determine the magnitude of great earthquakes” by W. Menke and V. Levin
Author(s) -
Weinstein S. A.,
McCreery C.,
Hirshorn B.,
Whitmore P.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2005eo280005
Subject(s) - magnitude (astronomy) , seismology , history , geology , geography , physics , astronomy
We appreciate W. Menke and L. Levin's comments ( Eos , 86(19), pp.185, 189, 10 May 2005) on the need to develop new seismological techniques to more accurately determine the magnitude of great earthquakes quickly. However, in the first few paragraphs, Menke and Levin suggest that the many thousands of people died because an accurate assessment of the true nature of the 26 December 2004 Sumatra earthquake was not known within the first hour after it occurred. Although this may serve as a wake‐up call to seismologists on the importance of better and more rapid magnitude estimation procedures, it should not be used to obscure the most urgent need, which is to establish an effective global tsunami warning system.