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2007 Kyoto Prize Laureates 
Basic Sciences Category
Prize Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics Dr. Hiroo Kanamori Dr. Hiroo Kanamori's epoch-making progress in studying great earthquakes includes establishing analytical methods that make full use of seismograms for a better quantitative understanding of the rupture process. His work has opened a new era in seismology and made a significant impact on the development of geophysics. He has offered practical proposals on how to mitigate earthquake hazards and has contributed to the creation and operation of today's earthquake hazard mitigation systems. Elucidating the Physical Processes of Earthquakes and Applying Insights to Hazard Mitigation The 2007 Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences focuses on the field of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics. Dr. Hiroo Kanamori will receive the award for his significant contributions to understanding the physical processes of earthquakes and developing seismic hazard mitigation systems to protect human life. In the 1960s, Dr. Kanamori began investigating major earthquakes using a method he created to compare surface waves excited by an earthquake with those calculated using the seismic source model. Starting with the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964, he revealed the essential rupture mechanism of major earthquakes occurring along the Pacific Rim, and established almost single-handedly a field that some now call “great earthquake seismology.” In 1977, Dr. Kanamori introduced the “moment magnitude” scale to measure the magnitude of an earthquake in a standardized and quantitative manner — a scale used by seismological institutions almost exclusively when reporting the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of December 2004. Dr. Kanamori also proposed the “asperity model,” which provides a general explanation of the complicated rupture process. The validity of this model is currently being demonstrated by a global positioning system that detects aseismic slip events around asperities. Dr. Kanamori has proposed a tsunami warning system that uses real-time analysis of long-period seismic waves, and has studied the earthquake-resistance of high-rise buildings, oil storage tanks, and other critical structures. Additionally, he advocates “real-time seismology” — a method already begun in Southern California, and now being adopted in Japan and other countries — that acquires and analyzes data immediately after a major earthquake to predict strong motions before the arrival of seismic waves. Dr. Kanamori’s work has ushered in a new era in seismology, and his proposals for protecting human life by mitigating seismic hazards are just coming to fruition. |
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