Phil R. Cummins

I am an earthquake and tsunami scientist who has worked in Australia, Japan and Indonesia for the past 30 years.

Most of my research focusses on understanding earthquakes and how they affect us. This includes understanding why earthquakes occur where they do, how big they can be, and how efficiently they generate seismic waves. It also involves the study of the generation and propagation of tsunamis, and the focusing and attenuation of seismic waves by earth structure. The topics my group is actively researching include:

Rapid, accurate and reliable estimation of earthquake slip distributions and sea surface displacement associated with undersea earthquakes.
The effects of sedimentary basins (mainly in Indonesia) on the focusing and amplification of seismic waves.
Characterisation of earthquake potential through measurement of crustal strain accumulation.
Improving tsunami warning systems through rapid and reliable earthquake source characterization and tsunami forecasts.
Earthquake source effects on ground motion and building damage.
Through my work at Geoscience Australia, I am also involved in efforts to assist developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region to improve their ability to assess earthquake and tsunami hazard.