The lecture “Fewer Glaciers, More Earthquakes?”—presented by Riccardo Vassallo, associate professor atthe Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTerre), Faculty of Sciences and Mountain Studies—will take place on Thursday, April 8, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. at La Turbine (entrance via La Turbine cinema) in Annecy.
It will also be held on:
- Monday, April 12, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. in Saint-Genis-Pouilly (Pays de Gex)
- Tuesday, April 27, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. in Chambéry
The conferences will take place subject to the health conditions related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic and in compliance with the safety guidelines in force at the venue hosting the event.
About the conference
Glaciers are melting rapidly all over the Earth in response to ongoing global warming, with well-known consequences on the Earth's surface. However, the disappearance of large volumes of ice could have an impact on a natural phenomenon that occurs several kilometers below the surface: seismic activity. This phenomenon has been particularly spectacular in the Patagonian Andes over the last 20,000 years following the last major glaciation. For the past century and a half, the glaciers in this region have been melting again at record rates. During this same period, several large earthquakes have occurred. Is this a coincidence, or are current conditions comparable to the post-glacial period? What about the seismic risk in the Alps?