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Review of Case Materials
Reviews records, documents, testimony, data, and other relevant materials and consults with counsel regarding technical issues related to the matter.
Provide Expert Analysis
Applies specialized knowledge and experience to evaluate the technical or professional issues involved.
Form Expert Opinions
Develops independent, supportable opinions based on the available evidence and relevant standards.
Prepare Expert Reports
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A seismologist can compare recordings from seismic and strong-motion stations with the earthquake source, distance from the rupture, propagation path, local geology, and available ground-motion models. Shaking can vary substantially from one location to another even during the same earthquake because wave propagation and near-surface conditions affect the motion that reaches the site. USGS identifies source processes, propagation path, geology, and site response as important influences on earthquake ground motion.
Magnitude describes the size of the earthquake at its source, while intensity describes the shaking experienced at a particular location. One earthquake has a single magnitude value on a given magnitude scale but can produce many different intensities across the affected area. That distinction can matter in litigation when a reported earthquake magnitude is being used as though it establishes the level of shaking at a specific property.
Seismic waves can change as they pass through different rock, sediment, and near-surface materials. Softer or lower-velocity deposits can alter the amplitude, duration, and frequency characteristics of shaking compared with nearby bedrock locations. A seismologist may therefore consider site response when determining whether regional earthquake records adequately represent conditions at the disputed location.
Useful materials may include seismic station records, accelerograms, earthquake catalogs, event reports, ground-motion maps, hazard studies, fault maps, site coordinates, geotechnical or geological reports, instrument metadata, and any calculations or models relied upon by the parties. Preserving the underlying records is important because seismological conclusions may depend on waveform data, station location, processing choices, and the assumptions used to translate recorded motion to a particular site.
Prepares clear, well-supported expert reports outlining methodology, analysis, findings, and opinions.
Provide Deposition Testimony
Explains findings and opinions under oath and responds to questioning during deposition testimony.
Testify in Court
Presents specialized findings and opinions clearly to judges, juries, arbitrators, or other decision-makers.
