Earth Observatory of Singapore

Director Kerry Sieh’s principal research interest is earthquake geology, which uses geological layers and landforms to understand the geometries of active faults, the earthquakes they generate, and the crustal structure their movements produce. His early work on the San Andreas fault led to the discovery of how often and how regularly it produces large earthquakes in southern California.

More recently, his group has begun a study of the earthquake geology of Myanmar and New Guinea. Current research is especially focused on the subduction megathrust that produced the devastating giant Aceh-Andaman earthquake and Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.