Geology for Global Development

Friday Photo (53) – Earthquake Emergency Shelter – Lanzhou, China

Lanzhou, China – Earthquake Emergency Shelter

Interesting questions about preparedness, local education and awareness were raised on a recent visit to Lanzhou, China, after I was told on a coach from the airport that Lanzhou was not affected by earthquakes. During my visit to the University there, I came across this sign which offered a stark contradiction. Lanzhou regularly experiences small earthquakes, and it has been impacted by less frequent, large earthquakes in the region.

(c) Geology for Global Development 2012

Joel is the Founder/Director of Geology for Global Development (@Geo_Dev) an organisation working to support geologists to make a sustainable contribution to the fight against global poverty. He is an interdisciplinary researcher, with a PhD in geography (natural hazards), and research interests in multi-hazard frameworks, disaster risk reduction, rural water projects, and sustainable development. This work has taken him to Chile, China, Guatemala, India, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. Joel is currently based at the British Geological Survey, and tweets at @JoelCGill.